Total Drama: Eracy Island
by Owen96
Summary: Twenty completely different people who have never met before will work together in four teams of five to win immunity for their team in the hopes of winning a year-long holiday to a luxury resort and one million dollars. In the case that they lose, they must scheme, plot and deceive to stay in the game. With everyone's eyes on the prize, who will win? (SPACES FULL)
1. OC Form

**Hello! This is my first Total Drama competition story, and I need twenty OC's for it to happen. These OC's will be put into the competition, in four teams of five, and will progress like a typical Survivor gameshow, with eliminations, challenges, hidden immunity idols, lying, trust and deception. Please, if you'd like to join, fill in the following form and post it in the 'Reviews' of this chapter.**

 **Thank you!**

 **(Sorta only putting it in here cause there isn't one for Survivor, but the two shows are essentially the same except TD is in cartoon form.)**

 **...**

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Clothes (Normal Wear):

Clothes (Swim Wear):

Hair Colour:

Eye Colour:

Personality:

Backstory (Optional):

Sexuality:

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?:

Three Strengths:

Three Weaknesses:

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking):

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?:

 **Please fill this in and post it in the reviews. As soon as the twenty roles are filled up, I'll write the Character chapter and then we'll get into it!**

 **Bye!**


	2. The Character List (Final)

**Hey everyone! These are the twenty characters who'll be competing for a luxury resort holiday in Total Drama: Eracy Island!**

 **...**

 **Character One: Sent In By 'That British Guy'.**

Name: Olivia Haas

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Clothes (Normal Wear): Yellow shirt and black trousers

Clothes (Swim Wear): 2 piece white bikini

Hair Colour: Purple

Eye Colour: Blue

Personality: Really weird

Backstory (Optional): Unknown

Sexuality: Lesbian

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes

Three Strengths: Can make friends, always has a plan, fashionable

Three Weaknesses: Eating gross food, gets mad when she loses, doesn't like to try

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: Lie and manipulate

 **...**

 **Character Two: Sent In By 'Katastic Writer'.**

Name: Connor Mendeleev

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): Navy blue long-sleeved sweater over maroon collared shirt, light blue jeans, and black-and-white sneakers.

Clothes (Swim Wear): Dark blue and black swim trunks.

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Cerulean

Personality: He comes off as timid upon first meeting him, but his genuine friendly nature comes out once he warms up to people. He has a creative mind and uses writing as an outlet for his ideas, whether for stories or other projects. He is also a peacekeeper of sorts, making sure that others do not fight amongst each other if he can help to resolve the conflict.

Backstory (Optional): He was raised by his mother, who is a private investigator, for all of his life in New York City since his abusive father had left them. He fears that his father might come back to harm them but is reassured by his mother that it would never happen. All the while, he takes her teachings to heart and aspires to write inspiring stories once he becomes a full-fledged author.

Sexuality: Pansexual

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes

Three Strengths: His creativity allows him to think outside of the box to solve problems, he gets along with many different types of people, and has plenty of stamina to run long distances.

Three Weaknesses: His physicality/muscle is lacking, self-conscious about thin body stature compared to most guys, and easily nervous.

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: Honest

 **...**

 **Character Three: Sent In By 'Omakin'.**

Name: Arianna Rodriguez

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Clothes (Normal Wear): A White T shirt with Black stripes, Black Jeans and Blue converses

Clothes (Swim Wear): A Black Bikini with dark blue polka dots

Hair Colour: Auburn (In twin tails)

Eye Colour: Green

Personality: At first she seems like the sweetest girl you have ever met, she would want everyone to work together and cares about everyone, but that's just a facade in reality she can be described as a b*** who has a tendency to hate most people she meets

Backstory (Optional): One word to describe Arianna is spoiled she has been spoiled her whole life and with it she developed a rotten attitude which wasn't helped by the fact she didn't have a mother figure, needless to say her first day of school wasn't the best and she was hated by everyone, but she wanted to be popular and she realized only the nice girls were popular, so she asked her parents to move schools and with the new school came a "new" her, with her "nice" attitude she became the most popular girl in school (even though she secretly hates everyone) she wants to join the show to be famous and richer

Sexuality: Straight

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes

Three Strengths: She is very strategic, she is agile and she is incredibly charismatic

Three Weaknesses: She has a short temper, she is very weak physically and she has too much of an ego

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: She would lie about anything and manipulate anyone to get herself further

 **...**

 **Character Four: Sent In By 'The candy man 234'.**

Name: Gabby Rentmeaster

Age: 16

Gender: female

Clothes: a purple soccer jersey with a white trim and a number 9 on the front with jeans and purple sneakers

Swim wear: Purple two piece with a white trim

Eye color: brown

Hair color: dark brown

Personality: Gabby is a club playing soccer fanatic who obsess over herself and her tumbler blog. She will not be afraid to befriend and then backstab anyone just for her own gain. Of course being a club player she is very competitive and has an iron will to always come on top of everything that the completion will throw her way.

Backstory: Gabby was born into a family that prided on winning witch is why her father pushed her to be the best in every event, game, and activity that she participates in. In addition she also has sibling to compete with for attention from her family with is the reason she applied for the competition.

Sexuality: straight

Relationship: No

Three strengths: Athletics, any challenge that requires a ball, kissing up

Three weaknesses: Extremly vain, Any memory challenge, blinded by her confidence.

Better Physically or socially: Better physical challenges that involve running or aim or hand eye coordination.

Are they honest: Completly willing to lie or backstab any competitor to make herself safe from elimination.

 **...**

 **Character Five: Sent In By 'Pierana'.**

Name: Jackie Ingez

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Clothes (Normal Wear): A black t-shirt with a white lipstick graphic on the front, and a short white skirt.

Clothes (Swim Wear): A simple black and white striped two piece bikini.

Hair Colour: Raven black

Eye Colour: Brown

Personality: Jackie is a very sexy and attractive person, but she tries not to brag about her looks or sound conceited. She is a very peppy and optimistic person, and she does her best to cheer up anyone who feels down, and she doesn't hold grudges. She loves a good underdog story, and she will make alliances with anyone. She is flirty, but she doesn't throw herself at guys.

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Sure!

Three Strengths: Sexy, Optimistic, Nice

Three Weaknesses: Bad liar, too nice to lie, and girls may get jealous of her looks.

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially. She can strike up a conversation wth anyone.

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: she is to nice to lie.

 **...**

 **Character Six: Sent in by 16Doobob13**

Name: Oswald Pamesi

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Clothes(Normal Wear): Oswald wears a hot pink polo shirt over tan cargo shorts. He also wears red and grey nike sneakers.

Clothes(Swim Wear): Oswald wears a pair of swim trunks colored to look like a beach at sunset

Hair Colour: Golden Blonde Hair (Short in length, wavy in style)

Eye Colour: Blue-Green eyes(almond in shape)

Personality: Oswald is an incorrigible flirt. If he sees a girl he believes to be attractive, he'll flirt with her. However, he can't take what he dishes out, and often blushes and gets flustered when girls flirt with him when he isn't expecting it. That said, Oswald is always very polite. He'll offer to help others with important tasks, he'll motivate his teammates during challenges, and if he angers anyone he will apologize to them and perhaps even seek a way to right whatever was wronged. However, Oswald also incredibly cunning, and understands the machievellian concept of virtu, the ability to adapt to change, and he places all his stock in this ability first and foremost, with even women coming second.

Backstory: Oswald has always been a cunning individual, but he hasn't always been as self-serving and selfish as he is now. He used to be a gentleman thief, only deceiving and stealing from those he believe deserved it, however, he once accidentally fleeced a mafia member of a large sum of money, and has ever since been trying to pay off a massive debt. In doing so, he learned to always look out for number 1, that is himself, first.

Sexuality: Oswald is Heterosexual

Would You Like Them To Be IN A Relationship?: Yes. He tends to go for girls he perceives as 'easy' or 'loose', as well as those he perceives as 'naive'.

Three Strengths: Oswald is very good at placing seeds of doubt and mistrust among others, He's incredibly good at stealth movement/sleight of hand, and he can think up winning plans quickly even under pressure

Three Weaknesses: Oswald is actually too trusting of others for his own good, and tends to make his plans without fact checking what he is told or what he believes. Oswald has a crippling allergy to beeswax(like, the actual thing), and even trace amounts of it can cause rashes and swelling to form where it comes into contact with his skin. Finally, Oswald can't, for the life of him, resist making bets or deals, even strange ones that don't seem to benefit him.

Better Physically or Socially?: All things considered, and weaknesses taken into account, I'd argue Oswald is actually a bit better physically, though I believe he's pretty well rounded in general terms.

Are they honest or would they lie and manipulate to further their game: Oswald would mostly lie and manipulate, but he would sprinkle bits on honesty throughout the game to spice things up, or if he believed he could psych others out mentally with the information

 **...**

 **Character Seven: Sent In By AstrisDreams**

Name: Ingrid Sanders

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Clothes (Normal Wear): Overall shorts with black crop top and yellow sneakers

Clothes (Swim Wear): White bikini

Hair Color: Long red hair in ponytail like a genie

Eye Color: Blue

Personality: Ingrid is the sweetest girl you will ever meet that is until you make her mad, then run like hell. She has quite the temper which she usually keeps controlled. She very friendly and likes to make friends and is willing to help everyone however don't underestimate her, people often assume that she's not smart since she's so perky when she's watching your every move. Ingrid is friendly and nice but not afraid to go after what she wants. She is very violent while Still being a sweetheart. (Think the hulk don't' make her angry)

Sexuality: Straight

Would You Like Them To Be In A relationship?: Sure

Three Strengths: Risk-taker, Ambitious, Smart

Three Weaknesses: Temper, Can't swim, hates creepy crawlies

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Challenges

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to get further in the game?: Not in the beginning but she will if she has too

 **...**

 **Character Eight: Sent In By ThorBringsTheThunder**

Name: Charles 'Scar' Hellman (Goes by Scar)

Age: 17 Gender: Male

Normal Clothes: Orange Jumpsuit, black moccasins, Fang Earrings

Swimwear: Same as above (no shoes)

Hair: Completely Bald, Showing many scars and wounds on his head and face

Eyes: Dark navy, almost black. Has an empty stare.

Personality: Not much is known about Scar, since he never talks. I mean, it's obvious from the jumpsuit that he's a convicted criminal, and from his jarring, twitchy movement that he's injured or possibly disabled, but there isn't much else to him. Sometimes, people who encounter him say that he was in one place, and then instantly in another. But that's just a joke, right...?

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Relationship?: No

Strengths: Intimidating, Not Easily Manipulated, Not Terrible In Physical Challenges

Weaknesses: Mute, Scary Enough To Possibly Be Voted Out, Won't Contribute In Mental Challenges Unless He Must

Physical or Social Threat?: Physical

Honest or Dishonest?: Honest-He wouldn't betray an ally or sell someone out.

 **...**

 **Character Nine: Sent In By GirlPower54**

Name: Zane Wood

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): A red and blue striped t-shirt, black shorts, a blue and black unzipped hoodie, orange and black sneakers, white socks, green fingerless gloves, a pair of black Sony headphones around his neck, a shark tooth necklace and a red baseball cap

Clothes (Swim wear): Red swim trunks

Hair colour: His hair is brown (his hair is spiky and slid back, and his hair is neck length)

Eye colour: His eyes are a magnificent ocean blue (his eyes are round in shape)

Personality: Zane is the brain and brawn guy. He's really smart, with athletic ability. However he's a bit aggressive and even a bit arrogant and has a temper that tends to get the better of him and if rubbed the wrong way he can become rather cunning. He's also a massive flirt, and he's a bit shy and reserved

Backstory: Zane has never been popular in school. He's been in multiple clubs and sports, however that never made him popular. Zane has always been interested in the movie department however he isn't an actor, he's a filmer and he loves competition, he usually wins competitions at his school (but only sports competitions and mental competitions). Zane auditioned because he wanted to know what it was like competing on TV (the money is a plus)

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Would You Like Them To Be In a Relationship: Yes

Three Strengths: He is a good cook, he's very loyal to those he meets, and he has a good amount of stamina.

Three Weaknesses: His temper has a tendency to get the better of him, he has a weak stomach and he has bad at socializing

Better Physically or Socially: Physically. No questions asked.

Are they Honest, or would they Lie and Manipulate to further their game: He's honest, however he does have a tendency to lie but he only does it when he feels endangered.

 **...**

 **Character Ten: Sent In By RebelToasters12**

Name: Brooke Summers

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Clothes (Normal wear): a blue blouse, with white shorts and black sandals

Clothes (Swim wear): blue polka dotted one piece

Hair color: blonde

Eye color: brown

Personality: Brooke is overall super nice, but doesn't take crap from anyone. She is really good at seeing through lies. She gets along with everyone, and wants to make tons of friends, as long as they aren't total jerks. If she is mad at someone, she usually just doesn't bother with them, so she doesn't cause a scene. She may be pretty, but she is really athletic, as well. She is a total optimist, though. She loves to give people advice, and is actually really good at it. She may be nice, but when it is time to strike, she is not afraid to get her hands dirty.

Sexuality: Straight

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yeah

Three Strengths: She is super nice, really good at giving advice, very agile.

Three Weaknesses: Scared of the dark, bad at staying still for long, endurance

Better Physically or Socially?: Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: Honest

 **...**

 **Character Eleven: Sent In By Guest**

Name: Mike Jones

Age: 19

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): A bright yellow and white striped shirt with blue jeans. He also has black sneakers.

Clothes (Swim Wear): Dark green swim trunks

Hair Colour: Bright blond

Eye Colour: Brown

Personality: Mike is a follower. He acts like any other regular person, but when he sees an opportunity that is in his best interest, he takes it, even though it could leave others behind. He struggles to not be blunt with people. Usually he wants to say what's on his mind as an impulse before thinking how it could effect others.

Sexuality: Bisexual

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes

Three Strengths: Can eat disgusting food without wanting to throw up, good at climbing, can easily put the blame on other people without batting an eye

Three Weaknesses: Way too competitive, can give away his entire strategy at once, not very smart academically

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Physically

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: He would go to those who can help him progress in the game and manipulate and lie to them to get on their good side

 **...**

 **Character Twelve: Sent In By prestoncampbell2001**

Name: Kevin Conner

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): A blue, grey, and black striped shirt with a hoodie. Blue jeans, black sneakers, and glasses.

Clothes (Swim Wear): Orange swim trunks

Hair Colour: Blonde

Eye Colour: Blue

Personality: Kevin is a very intelligent, kind hearted, but very shy young man. He is very hard working, he loves building things together. He rather get his work done then play. He's very confident and he believes he can be a very great contestant for Total Drama. He was once artist of the year. He draws his characters in rotation. His mom is very proud of him for his hard work for his work of art. He rarely talks to others at school. He never had a girlfriend, he always wanted one. He would rather stay in his room and play on his computer and play video games. He loves studying deadly animals, diseases, and plants. He's a real Christian like his mother who talks to everyone. So she lets him join Total Drama, not only cause he's a huge fan of reality, but also to get out more, and to try and get himself a girlfriend. And if he wins, he would use his money to help others, and use it with his new girlfriend.

Sexuality: Bisexual

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes

Three Strengths: Very Intelligent, strong, and flexable

Three Weaknesses: Bad at hand writing, very shy, and doesn't look people in the eyes

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Physically

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: He's very honest, and would never try to be mean.

 **...**

 **Character Thirteen: Sent In By Michaelfang9**

Name: Dale Montgomery Lawson

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Clothes: midnight blue long sleeve shirt with purple polka dots, Brown pants, green-white slip on shoes, thick rimmed black glasses, and a red Illuminator digital watch.

Swim wear: Brown swim trunks and a red t-shirt

Hair: curly blonde

Eye color: Brown

Personality: weird, nerdy, energetic, nervous, anxious, happy, friendly, funny.

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Would you like him to be in a relationship: yes

Three strengths: strong, strategic, fast

Three weaknesses: not that smart, clumsy, bruises easily

Better physically or socially: socially

Honest or cheat: honest

FYI: Dale has Aspergers syndrome, epilepsy, anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, asthma.

 **...**

 **Character Fourteen: Sent in by totaldramafan04**

Name: Griff Jackson

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): black t-shirt, navy blue jeans, black sneakers

Clothes (Swim Wear):dark blue swimming trunks with green around the waistline

Hair Colour: Brown, textured top with a temple undershave

Eye Colour: Sky blue hooded eyes

Personality:Griff is a very kind person who respects others and cares about their feelings. He will always put others before himself and he is a very emithetic person. He also tends to look on the bright side of things instead of the negative making him more optimistic instead of ough his Stereotype says he is Overjoyful he knows when to tone his happiness down and feel for others.

Backstory (Optional):Griff's father had abandoned him and his mother when Griff was only a newborn. Griff went through his childhood being abused by bullies and picked on for his dad leaving him. On Griff's 6th birthday his father returned,but him and Griff did not get along well as Griff was still upset because of what his father had done and this arguing and fighting went all the way until a few weeks after Griff's 10th birthday when his father had gotten into a car crash and had died and the last words Griff had ever said to his father before he left the house were "I hate you" and Griff regrets not telling him how much he needed him and actually cared about him. When Griff had entered Middle School he had signed up for Drama Club and used acting as a mean to help him get through losing his father. After his fathers death Griff vowed to try not to make enemies unless they are people who mess with his friends, he also decided to look on the bright side of things and cherish

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes, if possible

Three Strengths: Acting, makes friends easily, good at applying stage make-up

Three Weaknesses: not physically strong, he is sometimes too nice, not good at anything athletic

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: honest

 **...**

 **Character Fifteen: Sent in by Insanely Awesome**

Name: Adam Johnston

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): A red polo shirt, blue jean shorts, an unzipped black hoodie, white socks, black sneakers, orange fingerless gloves and a red-orange-yellow-green-blue-purple-and-pink striped scarf around his neck

Clothes (Swimwear): Red swim trunks and black swim goggle

Hair colour: Blonde

Eye colour: Dark green

Personality: Adam is cold, stubborn and stoic. He doesn't like talking to people because of previous encounters. He hates flirting and believes romance comes from the heart. Adam could give less of a care about anyone but his heart is in the right place even if he doesn't show it. He's very sarcastic and snarky and has a temper and he isn't afraid to show it. He is aggressive and a bit arrogant. However he is willing to take risks for those he loves, and he is rather athletic and smart. However he does have his insecurities which if he's rubbed to remind himself too much of his past his insecure side shows.

Bio: Adam wasn't always the way he was. He was a very fun loving child, but when he was 14 his parents died in a car crash and he was there and he was the sole survivor. Adam became the guy he is after he escaped his orphanage. He only wants the money to get a home, and he knows he will have honored his parents if he won.

Sexuality: Bisexual, he leans towards girls though (it'd be funny if he began falling for a male)

Would you like them to be in a relationship: Yes

Three Strengths: Strong, quick on his feet, strong stomach

Three Weaknesses: His temper, he cannot cook, and he feels very insecure easily

Better Physically or Socially: Physically

Are they Honest or would they lie and manipulate to further their game: Depends on how he's feeling. He would never be honest, he only manipulates. But if he wants to he can be brutally honest sometimes.

 **...**

 **Character Sixteen: Sent In By Enigma**

Name: Rebecca Abbot

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Clothes (Normal Wear): Sweaters or T-shirt with a design, often with game things, like the Zelda tri-force.

Clothes (Swim Wear): A bikini, purple with white flowers on it.

Hair Colour: Dark blonde, almost brown. She usually wears her hair in a braid.

Eye Colour: Hazel. She is nearsighted and has lenses to correct that.

Personality: Rebekah is usually one to listen. If someone asks questions, her answers are short, if exactly what she thinks. She's a bit too honest at times. However, there are two exceptions: talking about games, and strategizing. These are two things she is confident about. Other things, not so much. Especially her looks, she's very pessimistic about them. She can be a bit lazy, but this stimulates her out of the box thinking. She'll find an easy way to get things done. Rebekah often makes a contest out of things and is very competative. This is also seen when she's gaming, she loves a good challenge.

Backstory: She is a bit of a nerd and a gamer. Her mother thought she didn't go out enough, so they often fought over that. In one such fights, she angrily shouted that she'd sign up to that surviver program so that she could show she could win things like that. Thus she'd prove she wasn't unfit & gave-addicted like her mom said.

Sexuality: Bisexual.

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Of course, but it's your choice.

Three Strengths: Strategic, out of the box thinker, fast.

Three Weaknesses: Not particularly strong (though she has trained a bit before coming), too frank, really, really afraid of jellyfishes, even if they can't sting.

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Social. She's done a lot of cooperative gameplay as well. A lot of making people work together properly & with a good plan.

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: She's a terrible liar, it wouldn't help her at all.

 **...**

 **Character Seventeen: Sent In By TheAllTimeGreatest**

Name: Miles Jackson

Age: 18

Gender: Male

Normal Wear: He wears dark blue jeans, white, short sleeved t-shirt with a blue Phoenix decal on the front, black leather jacket, and dark brown boots

Swim Wear: Red trunks

Hair Color: Brown, short on the sides, more full on the top and combed slightly back

Eye Color: Brown

Personality: On the surface, Miles seems like your average underdog. He might have a prosthetic arm, but that does not hinder him. He is very approachable as a person to talk to and seems like someone who might be the life of the party. He has an overall, seemingly warming disposition towards others, and seems to have a heart of gold underneath this exterior. He can also be quite sarcastic in certain situation, such as those where he expects certain things to occur.

However, underneath this compassionate exterior lies a ruthless and aggressive mindset when it comes to playing the game of Total Drama. On the inside, Miles is quite manipulative, using others' sympathy for his disability to further his own standing in the game. He is a schemer in these aspects, as he views the game as a giant chessboard, know that he must always be not just one, but two steps ahead of everyone else.

Backstory: Miles grew up in San Diego, California. Since he was 7, he has had a strong interest in making films. He started his own small, independent production company "Infinity Productions", as well as a YouTube channel of the same name, when he was just 9 years old. Since then, he has been making movies around the Bay Area of California. However, things took a drastic turn for the worst when he was just 11 years old. While travelling this his family on the highway, a wrong way driver, who was legally intoxicated, slammed into their car. The accident, while everyone made it out alive, cost Miles his left arm. It was replaced by a prosthetic.

After the incident, Miles became more introverted and shy as others around him began to acquaint themselves with him, knowing his harrowing tale. However, Miles only saw it as pity, as he did not wish to be defined by his prosthetic arm, but who he was as a person. Even his movies started taking a similar turn, as they focused on dark themes such as depression, insanity, anger, fear, and guilt. He also took up freerunning and parkour in order to further define himself from his disability. His work in film has even gotten him local fame within San Diego, as his work has been featured at local movie theaters. Eventually, he began to open up more to others.

After finding out that the cost of maintaining his prosthetic arm as well as paying for college were causing bills to pile up, he decided to sign up for Total Drama: Eracy Island in order to secure his financial future. He knew that he wasn't going to do this by playing nice, so he decided he needed to play dirty and manipulatively in order to provide a better future for himself.

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Relationship: Sure, but Miles would be conflicted whether or not to keep her with him or betray her as he needs to focus on his true goal of winning.

Three Strengths: Intelligent, physically fit, adaptive

Three Weaknesses: Can be paranoid at times, can be somewhat untrustworthy, cites his goals of providing himself with a better life for his ruthless gameplay, but often blurs the line between well intentioned antihero and cold hearted villain.

Better Physically or Socially?: While he is by no means weak or a wimp, Miles is better at the social game rather than the physical, as he uses his intelligence and ability to read others to advance his own gameplay

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: Miles would do anything to win, including lying and manipulating, as well as betraying others if it means a better life for himself.

 **...**

 **Character Eighteen: Sent In By Crow38**

Name: Hudson Ewing

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Clothes (Normal Wear): Gray Hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath. Dark Blue Jeans

Clothes (Swim Wear): Orange Swim Trunks

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Blue

Personality: Nice, Humorous, Strategic, Passionate

Backstory (Optional): Grew up in Chicago and LOVED Drawing in his sketchbook (especially cartoons). However, when growing up, he was teased for being a lousy artist by his fellow classmates, but with his parents encouragement, he kept doing what he loved and developed more as an artist.

Sexuality: Straight

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship: Yes

Three Strengths: Drawing, Climbing, Strategy

Three Weaknesses: Running, Phobia of Bees/Wasps, Swears some times

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: Honest, but with a little bit of lying.

 **...**

 **Character Nineteen: Sent In By Mirthful Messiah of the Wicked**

Name: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine

Age: 17

Gender: Female

Appearance: Jay is tall and a bit on the skinny side with tan skin, freckles along her cheeks. She doesn't have much curves but they are noticeable.

Clothes (Normal): She wears a lose and baggy black shirt that barely hangs on to right shoulder, a picture of a ribcage on it's front with a fire where the heart should be. To keep herself at least a bit decent, she wears a blank tank top under that. Dark grey skinny jeans with a black and silver belt. She also has a black leather jacket though she usually has that tied around her waist, wearing black Vanz with white laces. Finally, she has a silver nose piercing, a silver tongue piercing, and gold hoop earrings as well as black fingerless gloves. She also wears black rimmed glasses for her far sightedness.

Clothes (Swim): Simple white bikini

Hair Color: Long and curly black hair

Eye color: Brown

Personality: Jayna is hardly what you call a normal girl. She's usually loud and has no shame, and mischief is her game. Whether to tease or to be actually be serious is usually up to her. She loves to make people smile and laugh, though her lack of seriousness as well as her bluntness has got her in trouble before. JV is kind though and she loves to make puns so, uh, watch out. Regardless, she's a pretty chill and uncaring person and doesn't judge often. Jay outright despises taking the blame for anything and will stand her ground for as long as she can on any topic, even if she knows it's wrong. Even if her friends are the criminals, she will still stick by their sides no matter what. Her loyalty to her friends goes to a really dangerous realm with her however, because she then doesn't know when to say no, seeing it as breaking loyalty in some twisted way. She could be easily manipulated by her loyalty or her greed, even though she has been known for sloth as well. Some special quirks or hers include: Sometimes speaks in the third person; Mixes up sayings ("Never count your chickens until the fat lady sings!"); Talks to themselves and inanimate objects; Gets off topic a lot

Sexuality: Pansexual

Relationship?: I think I would actually!

Strengths: Cooking, Acting and Lying

Weaknesses: Easily distracted, trusts easily and undying loyalty

Physically or Socially?: Social

Honest or Lie?: She only lies if she has to, or if a friend tells her to

 **...**

 **Character Twenty: Sent In By Mystique Monroe**

Name: Sasha Gates

Age: 17

Gender: Female (born male)

Clothes (Normal Wear): School uniform consisting of dark green jacket with a white dress shirt underneath, a brown skirt, matching suspenders, black socks and white mary janes.

Clothes (Swim Wear): Light green one piece, with yellow and dark green ruffles in the bust area

Hair Colour: short, light brown layered hair

Eye Colour: Big, Bright Green Eyes

Personality: Sasha is very intelligent, but she also has a very meek and timid personality. She is very shy and apologizes a lot - it's easy to intimidate her to the point of tears. However,s he also loves to talk about anything related to her work as a programmer and she becomes more lively whenever the topic is brought up. Sasha is one of the kindest and softest characters in the competition, as she literally wouldn't hurt a mosquito, because it's "hungry and might have a family". Unfortunately, Sasha also has a deep-rooted complex over being looked down on by others as being "weak". She greatly admires people who are strong and determined, and wishes to be like them. Additionally, she has a tendency to sit back and listen instead of immediately jumping into the competition.

Backstory (Optional): When Sasha was a child, she knew she was different. She was too weak to play outside with her friends, causing her to begin playing on the computer to make the time pass. On top of that, everyone ket calling her a boy, even though she knew she was a girl. Her father was a system engineer that developed many major computer programs, and one day, Sasha found an incomplete information retrieval system that utilized voice input. This led to her creating her own modifications for it, and she soon realized that she could write programs by herself. Sasha's father praised her for her work and, as she finally found something he could take pride in, she became absorbed in programming.

When she was just a child, Sasha became the subject of harassment and bullying. She was always told to "be a man" and that she was "so weak despite being a boy", and because of that, Sasha slowly but surely began to develop a "weakness complex". In order to escape the bullying, Sasha began to dress as a girl so that people wouldn't bully him as a weak boy. This only served to worsen his complex, as it wasn't addressing the root of his problems, and she would get bullied even more if the truth was found out. That truth being that she may have been born a boy, but she was girl no matter what. As a teen genius, Sasha became famous for creating cutting-edge programs, to the point that she started developing top-secret AI programs for an unnamed company. Due to her resembling a "timid little bunny", she gained several fans. She now attends an elite private school.

Sexuality: Heterosexual (likes boys)

Would You Like Them To Be In A Relationship?: Yes Please

Three Strengths: Engineering skills, First aid skills, Photographic Memory

Three Weaknesses: Not physically strong, meek, bad swimmer

Better Physically or Socially? (Better in Challenges or Talking): Socially

Are they honest, or would they lie and manipulate to further their game?: Honest

 **...**

 **Please, if you haven't already, follow the story to be alerted whenever a new chapter comes out!**

 **Bye for now!**


	3. Chapter One: First Greetings

Chris McLean, the worldwide famous host of Total Drama, stood on the newly-built shiny docks of Eracy Island. Behind him was a vast forest with trees of green, brown, orange and red, varying in height, some reaching the tips of the clouds, others barely rising above the roof of the mess hall. He was staring into the distance, where a huge ferry was arriving with the new twenty campmates. His 'assistant' Chef, was standing next to him, a hatchet in his right hand, grumbling as he watched them get closer. Chris turned to the camera, putting on his professional grin.

"Hello everyone! Welcome to the brand new season of Total Drama, named Eracy Island!" He said cheerfully. "This season features twenty all new campmates competing in four tribes of five in challenges to win immunity for their team. However, those aren't the only challenges they'll be competing in! This season introduces the brand new reward challenges, where tribes will compete to win a luxury or something that'll help them around camp! The losing tribe of the immunity challenge will go to the Bonfire, where they will vote to eliminate one of their friends, rivals, or somebody they don't care about whatsoever! This is where the fun part comes into play! If they lose, every member of the tribe must scheme and plot to save themselves from losing one million dollars! Some will lie, some will manipulate, and all will be furious if they're eliminated which'll make great TV! There are also secret immunity idols hidden all around the island which'll grant a contestant safety from a single elimination. They can keep it for themselves or give it to someone else, it's their choice!"

"Hey Chris, stop blabbing on over there, the ship's arrived." Chef Hatchet snapped in frustration. Even though they could see nobody, they heard lots of commotion coming from inside the boat and they knew they were in for an exciting season. The ship stopped at the docks and a platform fell down so the contestants could reach the island. The talking quieted down to silence, and the first contestant started walking down the slope, wheeling a suitcase behind her.

She had purple hair and blue eyes. She wore a yellow shirt and black trousers, and seemed to be very fashionable with the way she dressed. She saw Chris and her eyes widened in excitement.

"Hey Olivia, you're our first contestant! Welcome to Eracy Island! Are you excited for the game?" Chris asked pleasantly. Olivia nodded furiously.

"I sure am, Chris! I can't wait to see how far I'm gonna make it, and I have to admit I am a taaad bit weiiiird, but it doesn't matter, right? I hope people won't mind anyway." Olivia rambled on, grinning brightly throughout. Chris instructed her to stand at the end of the dock and she walked over, planting a suitcase on the ground and sitting cross-legged on the floor.

The next contestant seemed to be shy as he slowly walked down the slope, and avoided making eye contact with Chris out of nerves. He had cerulean coloured eyes and black hair. He wore a maroon shirt with a collar underneath a navy long-sleeved sweater. He wore light blues jeans and black and white sneakers.

"Connor, welcome to the show! How are you doing?" Chris asked warmly. When Connor didn't reply at first, thinking of what to say, Chef lost his patience and leaned into the boy's face, frightening him.

"ARE YOU A MUTE, BOY?! SPEAK UP!" He screamed.

"Uh, good!" Connor said, chuckling nervously. "Sorry, I'm not good with first impressions. I hope I open up eventually, I mean, I usually do."

"No worries, Connor, you have all game for that. Hopefully." Chris teased. After smiling uncertainly, Connor went and stood next to Olivia, who had fallen asleep leaning against her suitcase.

The third contestant had auburn hair styled into twin tails and green eyes which gleamed in the sun. She wore a white t-shirt with black stripes running down it, black jeans and blue _Converse_ shoes. She was smiling kindly as she approached Chris, not bothering to give a look at Chef possibly out of fear or irritation for the short-fused man.

"Hello Arianna! What's your game plan for this competition?" Chris asked. Arianna giggled.

"That's a secret, Chris! But I'd be happy if everyone worked together as a team and tried their hardest!" She said cheerfully before walking to the other side of the dock to join Olivia and Connor. As soon as nobody was looking at her, her kind smile disappeared and was replaced with a dark smirk.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodiriguez**

"Pfft, as if! I would be ecstatic if nobody worked together well! In fact, I think I might have to stir up some drama to make this bore of an island more exciting, geez. For now, I'll act all sweet and innocent, and then make my move and reveal my true self when I'm in a position of power, haha!"

 **...**

Contestant number four started walking down the platform just as Arianna finished her conversation with Chris. She had brown hair and dark brown eyes. The others immediately guessed that she was interested in spot as she wore a purple soccer jersey with a white trim and a large number nine on the front. She wore jeans and purple sneakers which matched with her shirt. She ran to meet Chris.

"Welcome, Gabby! I can see you're interested in playing soccer?" Chris said with a smile. Gabby nodded with a grin before stretching.

"Yep! I'm an absolute fanatic, really. Ask me any question about soccer and I'll probably know the answer." Gabby bragged, winking at the other contestants. Arianna rolled her eyes, Connor smiled uncomfortably and Olivia, well, Olivia was still sleeping. "That boat was really stuffy though! I need to move about, you know?"

"Well, you can move to the other side of the dock and meet the people you'll be competing against." Chris said. Gabby nodded and started walking over.

The next contestant, another female, was evidently attractive as soon as she reached the dock. Her hair was like that of a raven's feathers, and her eyes were brown. She wore a black t-shirt with a white graphic of lipstick on the front, and a shirt white skirt. She hugged Chris upon meeting him, smiling warmly, and waved at the four already-introduced contestants. Connor and Gabby waved back, but Arianna ignored her and Olivia was still sleeping. The girl made sure to keep a mental note of who welcomed her and who didn't for later before turning to Chris.

"Hey Chris, it's so great to meet you! In case anyone's wondering, my name's Jackie Ingez, and I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and making some great lifelong friends." Jackie said happily, and started walking towards the others before Chris could even greet her. He shrugged his shoulders, grinning.

"She's sorta like you," Connor whispered quietly to Arianna as Jackie walked towards them. "Maybe you two could be friends?"

"We'll see." Arianna replied plainly, slightly suspicious of Jackie and wondering if she had the same idea as her; to act kind while secretly plotting against everyone in the game.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

"I know people might think that I'm just pretending to be nice to get to the million and I'm going to use my looks to get boys on my side along the way, but that's really not the case! I really am as nice as I say I am and I hope my friendliness will help me win the competition. Hey, if a boy pops up along the way, I'm not complaining though." Jackie smiled.

 **...**

"Hey." Jackie whispered to Connor. After walking over to them, she had placed her suitcase down next to him. He looked at her in surprise.

"...Me?" He asked, completely shocked. Jackie nodded and giggled.

"Yes, you. How are you doing?" She asked. After getting over his initial shock, Connor started feeling more comfortable with her and the two started a small conversation about their lives before the game.

While the two were talking, the next contestant started walking down the slope. He had short, wavy golden hair and his eyes were a mix of blue and green. He wore a hot pink polo shirt and tan cargo shorts, and red and grey _Nike_ sneakers. He gave a nod to the other contestants.

"Hey, Oswald." Chris greeted. "Are you excited for this competition?"

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to it! The challenges, the island, the girls." As he said this, he gave a wink at Arianna, the only girl looking at him at the time as Olivia was still sleeping, Gabby was prodding her and Jackie was engrossed in conversation with Connor. Arianna replied by smiling warmly, even though what she wanted to do was strangle him. He moved his suitcase over to the other side, immediately noticing Jackie and grinning.

"Hey, beautiful." He said with a wink. Jackie stopped talking with Connor, blushed, and tried to avoid Oswald's eye contact. Connor noticed this and frowned.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

"It's just my luck, isn't it? As soon as I start opening up to a girl, a beautiful one at that, some other guy comes along and almost immediately snatches her away! What can I do? I don't want to cause drama, it's not in my nature. I just have to impress her more than him. I can do it, right? I hope..."

 **...**

The seventh contestant reached the bottom of the slope and stood on the dock, admiring the island. She wore overall shorts, a black crop top and yellow sneakers. Her eyes were blue, and she had red hair tied into a ponytail. She gave Chris a hug, smiling at him happily.

"Welcome to the game, Ingrid!" Chris welcomed her warmly.

"Happy to be here!" She replied with a cheesy grin. As she was walking to the end of the dock, she stumbled on a plank of wood that was sticking out and almost fell over. She steadied herself and took a deep breath, her face starting to go red. She put her smile back on and walked to the others, greeting them then turning to the sea to try and calm down.

"Are you okay?" Arianna asked sweetly, trying her hardest to hide her anger at having to act so kind. Ingrid turned to her, smiling.

"Oh, I'm completely fine! I just have a bit of a short temper, that's all. I'll be okay." Ingrid replied, giving Arianna a soft smile which she returned. Arianna then glanced behind her, noticing everyone else looking at the next person walking down the slope, and leaned into Ingrid's ear.

"You seem like a tough competitor. How about we form an alliance? If you agree, and we add others, we'll be pretty much unstoppable if we're put on the same tribe. Of course, if we need to, we'd betray those on our alliance, but never each other. Agreed?" Arianna asked, the kind smile on her face the entire time. Slightly surprised at her stratgic plans, Ingrid nodded, nervous that if she refused Arianna would gun for her. "Perfect."

The next contestant had dark navy eyes and walked down the slope with no emotion on his face. He was completely bald, with numerous scars on his head and face which grossed out and intrigued the others. His head and arms twitched occasionally, and not a word emanated from his lips. He wore a orange jumpsuit that prisoners would wear, black mocassins and earrings in the style of fangs. Chris tried to hide his fear as he held out his hand for the contestant to shake. He didn't budge, so Chris awkwardly lowered it.

"Er...hello, Charles." Chris gave a weak grin. The other contestants started warily at him. Charles' eyes flickered with annoyance.

"It's Scar." He retorted, with no anger in his voice. Unsure what to say, Chris fell silent. Scar simply stared at him. Chef growled in anger.

 **Confessional: Charles Hellman**

 **"..."**

 **...**

"GET TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOCK, BOY!" He screamed furiously at him. Scar slowly turned his head to look at him, twitched, and walked to the other side. Chef was completely shocked; nobody had ever been unaffected by his screams! Everyone else shuffled away from him. However, the fear immediately disappeared when the next contestant loudly ran down the slope to greet Chris, grinning.

He had ocean blue eyes that shone in the sun and brown, spiky hair that went down to the bottom of his neck. He wore a red and blue striped t-shirt with an unzipped boue and black hoodie over it. He wore black shorts and orange and black sneakers with white socks. He had fingerless green gloves, a red baseball cap and black _Sony_ headphones hanging loosely around his neck. Lastly, he had a shark tooth necklace.

"Welcome Zane." Chris smiled, high-fiving him. Zane looked up to see Chef glaring intimidatingly at him and rolled his eyes, walking past him.

"...What's happening to me...?" Chef whispered, breaking into tears. "WHY CAN'T I SCARE TEENAGERS ANYMORE?! Chris, you gotta get me to a doctor!"

"As if! That would cost money, use your own paycheck." Chris rudely remarked, sticking his tongue out at his assistant. Chef, his sadness having been replaced with anger, growled.

"Hey." Zane said, winking at Jackie. Arianna, sick of the attention being on her, slammed her foot forward on the dock which caused Olivia to be woken up from her deep sleep. Everyone turned to look at Ariann, and gasped at her usual happy nature being replaced with a thunderous face. "What's the matter with you?"

"Geez, you guys all see a pretty face and you're in them in a second! Leave her alone!" Arianna snapped in annoyance. Connor looked down at the ground in shame, Scar didn't react, having not even noticed Jackie, and Oswald and Zane smirked. Jackie looked at Arianna gratefully, and she smiled back.

"Sorry, did you want me to compliment you, instead?" Oswald said with a grin. Arianna grimaced at him and his smile disappeared. She turned away and smirked.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodiriguez**

 **"Of course I only joined in to get Jackie on my side. Those pathetic boys can do whatever they want; they're all getting eliminated anyway when I get my alliance together." Arianna said with a smirk, thinking about voting them all out and giggling.**

 **...**

The next contestant was walking down the slope, looking at the ongoing argument in dismay. She never liked confrontation, or making a scene. She sighed. She had blonde hair and brown eyes, and wore a blue blouse and white shorts with black sandals on her feet. She reached the bottom, waving kindly to Chris.

"Hey Brooke!" Chris yelled purposely loud so everyone would shut up. Most of the contestants turned to her, some smiling and waving awkwardly, some glaring in her general direction and some not even paying her attention. "If you want to keep your head, I'd suggest you don't even talk in front of these people."

"Thanks for the advice, Chris. I'll keep it in mind." Brooke said with a giggle then walked to the end of the dock, being greeted by Olivia. "I can't wait to spend time with all of you!"

Her voice disappeared in the growing voices and arguing, so she sighed and turned to the sea. Her thoughts were distracted when she heard the footsteps of the next contestant and turned to look at them.

He had brown eyes and bright blonde hair. He wore a bright yellow and white striped shirt with blue jeans, and black sneakers. He put a smile on his face when he saw Chris, and gave him a firm handshake.

"Mike, welcome! Just head over to the other side of the dock, the game will be beginning soon!" Chris said. Mike nodded with a smile, and started over to the other side when his hand was grabbed by Chef. He turned to look at him, expecting him to be angry but instead he had tears streaming down his cheeks.

"You think I'm intimidating...right?" Chef asked nervously, his voice cracking on the last word.

"Um...no?" Mike asked, unsure if it was some sort of trick question. Chef exploded into wailing tears and Mike noticed Chris glaring at him before comforting his friend. Mike shrugged it off and walked to the other side, standing next to Brooke, grimacing at the arguing still going on.

"Why is everyone so angry at each other?" Mike asked quietly to Brooke, who giggled and shrugged.

"My guess is as good as yours, I just got here!" Brooke replied. Mike smiled, and she smiled back. After keeping eye contact for a moment, the two started feeling awkward and looked away, keeping their smiles.

 **Confessional: Mike Jones**

 **"I don't know why, but I just feel some strange connection with that Brooke girl! I felt it as soon as I stood next to her on the dock. Who knows, maybe something will happen? Probably not though...heh."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"I don't know why, but I just feel some strange connection with that Mike boy! I felt it as soon as he stood next to me in the dock. Who knows, maybe something will happen? Probably not though...heh."**

 **...**

Everyone who was arguing had finally calmed down, and Arianna was acting like nothing had happened with a smile on her face. Thus, when the next contestant started walking down the boat slope to the wooden dock, he felt extremely embarrassed to find everyone silent and looking at him. Shuffling awkwardly, he reached the bottom of the slope. He had blue eyes and blonde hair, and wore a striped shirt over a hoodie. Along with that, he wore blue jeans, black sneakers and glasses.

"Kevin! Welcome to the show!" Chris greeted warmly. Kevin nodded in reply, feeling extremely shy to be meeting such a big celebrity. He wheeled his suitcase to the end of the dock where the eleven already-introduced contestants waited.

"Hello! My name is Arianna! Nice to meet you!" Arianna greeted with a smile, holding out her hand. Kevin timidly shook it, then noticed Oswald clicking his tongue and rolling his eyes from behind.

"Don't trust her, buddy. She's evil." Oswald growled. Forgetting she was holding Kevin's hand she spun around to confront Oswald, throwing Kevin around with her. He landed by the edge of the dock and almost fell into the water but luckily Scar, who appeared out of nowhere, grabbed him before he could.

"U-um, thanks." Kevin replied. Scar didn't say a word, instead moving to the end of the dock away from everyone else and starimg out into the ocean.

The next contestant had curly blonde hair, brown eyes and a wide grin on his face. He wore a long sleeved midnight blue shirt with purple polka dots, brown trousers, green and white slip on shoes and thick-rimmed glases. He also wore a red _Illummator_ watch on his wrist.

"Hello Dale." Chris said, smiling at him.

"You know about all of my conditions, right?" Dale nervously stammered, lowering his voice so none of the curious contestants could hear him.

"Of course. We'll make sure nothing happens to you." Chris reassured him before pointing to where Dale had to go. Before Dale had even reached the dock the next contestant was running down the slope, unable to contain his excitement.

"Hey everybody!" He yelled happily. Noticing the amount of contestants who had already been introduced he began feeling overwhelmed with all the new friends he would make. His hair was brown with a temple undershave, and he had sky blue eyes. His attire was rather dark; he wore a black t-shirt, navy blue jeans and black sneakers.

"Griff! Liking the entusiasm!" Chris grinned, happy to see someone who was actually looking forward to spending time on the island. He gave him a high five, and some of the other contestants noted that the host hadn't been this happy with them.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be excited? I get to meet some new friends and have the chance of getting rich." Griff replied, grinning cheesily. He left Chris, going to the end of the dock and introducing himself personally to everyone. Most of the contestants couldn't resist feeling happy when he came near them.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"Yeah, yeah, I know what you're all thinking. Why is he being so nice? People are gonna use him, manipulate him, walk all over him! But I'm not going to change myself just to win this game. I have a bad history of people I know treating me like dirt, so I would hate to do the same to someone else unless absolutely necessary."**

 **...**

The fifteenth contestant had blonde hair and dark green eyes. He wore a red polo shirt underneath an unzipped black hoodie, blue jean shorts, black sneakers, white socks, orange fingerless gloves and a very colourful scarf wrapped around his neck. He didn't even bother to smile to Chris when he approached him like many of the others had.

"Welcome Adam! Are you excited?" Chris asked. Adam's eyes narrowed.

"Yes, I can't wait." Adam replied sarcastically before walking away. Chris blinked, wondering what he did wrong before shrugging it off. Unlike Griff, who greeted everyone, Adam did the complete opposite and when he reached the end of the dock he turned around, waiting for everyone else to be introduced. Everyone else shared glances, wondering whether to say anythimg to him but they all decided against it. Adam sighed sadly, then looked up when he heard footsteps.

Contestant sixteen waved to the others as she departed the boat. She had dark blonde hair that almost looked brown that was styled in a braid. She had hazel eyes and wore glasses as she was near-sighted. She wore a light green hoodir with the _Legend of Zelda_ tri-force printed on it, showing that she was a fan of the video game or video games in general.

"Hey Rebekah! How are you feeling?" Chris asked.

"Well, I'm a bit nervous, but I suppose everybody is!" Rebekah said, looking to the others for clarification. The nicer ones nodded in agreement along with those simply wanting to get on her good side. Those who didn't care to answer, like Adam, Scar and Olivia who was sleeping, looked away. "I hope I make it far enough in the game to make my family proud and prove my mother wrong!"

"Prove your mother wrong?" Jackie asked curiously as Rebekah left Chris to greet them. "What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe another time." Rebekah replied teasingly, sticking her tongue out. Jackie smiled. Arianna frowned in frustration, but tried to hide her anger.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez**

 **"If that gamer girl thinks she's stealing my alliance members away by intriguing them with her secrets she has another thing coming!" Arianna growled, folding her arms.**

 **...**

As the next contestant walked down the slope, the contestants' eyes were immediately drawn to his prosthetic arm where his left should be. He had brown hair that was short on the sides and combed back and brown eyes. He wore a white short-sleeved t-shirt with a blue Phoenix decal on the front underneath a black leather jacket. He also had dark blue jeans and dark brown boots.

"Hey Chris!" He said before the host could speak.

"Welcome to the show, Miles." Chris replied warmly. Miles walked to the other end of the dock, turning and facing the boat, a small smile forming on his lips, knowing that in a few seconds the questions about his arm would start piling up. And, as he expected, it wasn't long before the first question was asked.

"Oh my goodness...how did that happen to you?" Brooke asked in concern. Miles turned to her to reply, and everyone else listened in.

"Well, when I was just eleven years old, I was driving on the highway with my family. All of a sudden, this drunk driver just sped towards us! There was nothing we could do. He slammed into us, and all I remember is falling unconscious. Next thing I know I woke up in hospital. Nobody had died or was fatally injured, thank goodness, but my left arm had to be removed. It was replaced by a prosthetic, and it's been like this ever since." Miles replied, smiling sadly. He noted the expressions of the contestants; all of them, no matter their personalities, felt sorry for this teenager. While he was grateful for their support, inside he knew he could use this to his advantage.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"After the crash, and after my prosthetic was put on, the bills just got higher and higher unfortunately. Now that I'm in college, and have those fees to deal with, I need this money to secure my financial future, and trust me, I will do anything to get it. Call me awful, but I will lie and scheme to put myself in a safe position, and betray my allies at any time just to save myself. Hopefully my arm-" He nodded towards it. "Will score me some sympathy points and get me further. Only the true survivor will win the money, and I intend to be it."**

 **...**

The next contestant had blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore a grey hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath and dark blue jeans. In his left hand he held a sketchbook.

"Hey Hudson! Welcome to the game!" Chris greeted.

"Thanks for the warm welcome, Chris." Hudson said kindly with a nod, then went to meet the others.

"Are you interested in drawing?" Connor asked, noticing Hudson seemed bery attached to his sketchbook. Hudson smiled warmly at him, nodded, and began showing him his artwork.

"Yeah. I never used to be good. I was bullied by my classmates-" This caused a gasp from Connor. "-for a little while, but thanks to the encouragement of my parents I grew. It's my dream." Hudson said.

"That's good to hear." Connor replied.

With only two contestants yet to be introduced, everyone was starting to become restless, wanting to simply begin the game. The next contestant had black curly hair and brown eyes. She was tall and skinny and had freckles on the bridge of her nose. She wore a blank tank top, with a loose and baggy black shirt over that. On the shirt was a picture of a ribcage and a fire where the heart would usually be situated. She had dark grey skinny jeans and a black and silver belt to keep them up. She had a black leather jacket that, at the time, was tied around her waist, and wore black _Vanz_ with white laces. She wore black fingerless gloves and rimmed glasses. She also had many piercings; a silver nose piercing, a silver tongue piercing and gold hoop earrings.

"Hey Chris! It's great to meet you! Wow, there's so much sea to _see_ , aha!" The girl said, waiting proudly for applause. When it didn't come and she opened her eyes to see Chris, Chef and the contestants either cringing or rolling their eyes, she hardly noticed. "Oh well. As they say, never count your chickens until the fat lady sings!"

"That doesn't even make sense!" Connor whispered to Jackie, who nodded, feeling quite unnerved by this new girl. Even Scar thought he wasn't the most insane person out of the cast anymore.

 **Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"I have absolutely no shame; I lost that a long time ago. So yeah, I'll make cringy puns, I'll mix up sayings, I don't care! After all, who knows when you're life will end? Live it to the fullest!" Jayna said, leaning back in her chair, smiling, then almost falling off it.**

 **...**

"Welcme to the show, Jayna. Um, just go...stand over there." Chris said, quite dazed by the whole ordeal. While Jayna introduced herself to everyone, the final contestant started walking down the slope. When she reached the bottom, the boat started driving away from the island, isolating them from society for over a month.

She had big, bright green eyes and short light brown layered hair. She wore a school uniform consisting of a dark green jacket with a white dress shirt underneath and a brown skirt. She had matching suspenders, white socks and black _Mary Janes_. She timidly walked towards Chris, trying to ignore the bewildering looks she was given at the fact she was wearing a school uniform, and looked up at him.

"Hey Sasha! Just head over there!" Chris said, pointing to the other side of the dock where some of the contestants had gotten involved in their own separate conversations.

"O-okay..." Sasha replied timidly, walking to the other side. Once she made it there, and she had introduced herself meekly, Chris clapped his hands and everyone turned to him.

"I hope you've already acquainted yourselves, because you'll be living with the people you see around you for over a month! Well, if you make it that far. From now on, it's up to you to guarantee your survival. You'll be pitted against the people you've known for only a few minutes, and must put your fate in their hands. You can form alliances to help get you further but, of course, you never know when they'll stab you in the back. Be careful. Only the strongest will survive." Chris said darkly. The twenty contestants gave each other glances of worry, determination, friendliness and anger. "I will now put you into four tribes, randomly created. You may be with people you've already grown close to, or people you'd rather run far away from. But they will be your tribe, whom you will compete with to win immunity. But if you lose the immunity challenge...you're at risk. The losing tribe will go to the bonfire, where one of them will be eliminated. How you decide this is entirely up to you; you can lie, manipulate and scheme to remain, or trust you alliance members. As I said before; only the strong will survive. I will now put you into your four tribes, labelled after things you would find on a desert island. Then, tomorrow, you will compete in your first reward challenge to win a gift for you tribe! Here are the teams-"

 **Sky Tribe: Hudson, Arianna, Adam, Griff and Dale.**

 **Sea Tribe: Miles, Rebekah, Brooke, Mike and Olivia.**

 **Sand Tribe: Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby and Sasha.**

 **Serenity Tribe: Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Jayna.**

"Go to camp, mingle, get to know each other! Catch some food, eat a good meal and be prepared for the reward challenge tomorrow. Good luck everyone." Chris said, bidding them farewell as the four tribes of five said goodbye to each other before going their separate ways, excited and nervous for what was to come.

 **...**

 **And there we are! Next chapter, the excitement begins; the alliances, the schemimg, the plotting, the challenges and possibly some romance! Who between? Find out next time, and please review!**


	4. Note 1

**Just a quick note from me! I'm in the middle of writing the second chapter for TD:EI right now, but I'd like some feedback from you guys about the format of the story. I'm gonna give you two options, and can you please say in the** **reviews** **if you'd rather option 1 or option 2?**

 **Thank you!**

 **...**

 **Option 1: Longer chapters; covering camp interactions, the reward challenge, more camp interactions, the immunity challenge and the elimination. Will likely take slightly longer than Option 2, but will hurry the story along more.**

 **Option 2: Shorter chapters; covering just camp interactions and the reward challenge in one chapter, then more camp interactions, the immunity challenge and the elimination in the second chapter. The chapters will be out more frequently, but it means there will be an elimimation once every two chapters rather than one every chapter like it would be with option 1.**


	5. Chapter Two: Beams and Boats

**Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Every review I receive just motivates me to keep going with the story. Please enjoy!**

 **Everybody voted for Option 1, so the every chapter will feature two challenges (a reward and an immunity) and an elimination. It's the option I preferred too, so I'm happy about that. ^^**

 **...**

 **Day 1**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff and Adam)_**

Arianna sat on the beach in the camp, groaning in annoyance. Not a single person she had recruited into her alliance was on her tribe! What were the chances of that? Instead she was stuck with four boys; four boys she would rather eliminate than team up with.

Sighing, Arianna knew that if she stayed on the beach feeling sorry for herself she would likely be the first voted out. She got to her feet, almost slipping in the sand. She had to form an alliance with somebody before everyone in the tribe realised she was the only girl and teamed up against her because of that.

Looking around camp, she noticed Dale in the distance partly obscured by the trees, picking up firewood. She took a deep breath and put on her kindest smile, then started walking over to him. His back was turned to her. When she was a few paces away, she called out his name. Surprising her, he let out a cry, startled, dropped the firewood and spun around to meet her gaze. The wood landed everywhere.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Let me help you." Arianna said, pretending to feel guilty for him. As she bent down to pick up the wood, Dale shook his head, looking like he was ashamed of himself.

"No...it's not your fault, it's all mine. I should seriously have my anxiety under control by now..." Dale muttered, helping to pick up the wood, his voice slightly shaky. The two fell silent for a moment, the only sounds being the clanking of wood against wood. After a moment, Arianna heard heavy breathing and glanced at Dale, her eyebrow raising.

"Did I really scare you that bad?" Arianna asked, struggling to hide the amusement in her voice.

"Believe it or not, I also have asthma." Dale replied, smiling, shocking Arianna.

"Anything else you have?" Arianna said in a joking way, not expecting him to take the questiom seriously.

"Well...Asperger's syndrome, depression, epilepsy, ADD and ADHD." Dale said, stopping picking up the wood to count on his fingers. When he finished, he looked at Arianna to find her mouth wide open in shock. He shrugged. "Suppose I'm just unlucky."

"I feel so bad for you! I don't know if I could deal with having all that...I bet you have so much medication to take." Arianna said sadly. When Dale nodded and turned around to pick up more firewood, a devious smirk rose to her lips as she realised she could use this to her advantage, if anything to show that she was the more valuable member to keep if it was between the two of them for elimination.

"Thank you. It is difficult...it's nice to have someone to talk to about it. You're really kind, Arianna." Dale said, smiling softly, and Arianna smiled in return, nodding in thanks. He looked down at the ground in thought for a moment, and Arianna was about to ask him if he was okay when all of a sudden he looked up at her. "Will you be in an alliance with me?"

 _He got there before I could._ Arianna thought. She didn't answer for a few seconds, not wanting to seem too eager, then finally replied. "Of course, it'd be great to be in an alliance! However, two won't cut it in a tribe of five. We'll need at least one more person to have majority. Is there anyone who you think would be suitable?"

"I haven't talked to anyone very much yet, I was planning on having a chat with everyone later to get to know them more." Dale replied.

"If we don't have anyone yet, let's head back to camp and watch the other three closely to see who would be the best for our alliance. Then, after our meal tonight, we'll meet up again here and say who we think is best." Arianna strategised, staring at the ground as she spoke, not wanting to get side-tracked. Dale nodded in agreement and the two picked up the firewood and left the woods, acting like they had never spoken.

Meanwhile, in the camp, another conversation was happening between Adam, Hudson and Griff as they worked on the shelter. Griff, starting to feel awkward with the silence, looked around and noticed Hudson's sketchbook lying on the sand next to where he was working.

"So Hudson, is drawing one of your passions?" He asked. Hudson looked up at him, glanced at his sketchbook then smiled and nodded.

"Yeah! If you want, I could show you some of my stuff after we're done with the shelter." Hudson suggested, somewhat shyly. Grif grinned.

"Sounds good!" He replied. "Are you hoping to go to art college soon?"

"I'd adore to go to an art college. The grand prize would really help me out with the fees, it's sorta why I'm here." Hudson said with a smile.

"Well, don't think you're gonna guilt trip me into taking it easy on you and letting you win! I'm here for that prize too." Griff said jokingly. Hudson grinned and shook his head.

"I don't expect you to."

"I could never be an artist. Not in a million years." Griff said, continuing the discussion. He carefully laid a large leaf from a palm tree on top of their temporary roof, wishing silently they would win some tarp in a rewards challenge.

"Oh, I'm sure you're a brilliant drawer! Don't put yourself down." Hudson said dismissively, not believing him. Griff smirked.

"Oh yeah? I once tried drawing a tree, but I messed up so bad my classmate thought it was a sheep! Even with the trunk drawn!" Griff exclaimed.

"How old were you?"

"That's the thing; it was only a few weeks ago!" Griff said, and the two burst into hysterical, loud laughter. Adam, unable to control his frustration, snapped his head at the two and glared.

"Will you two stay focused? Or do you want to sleep out in the rain tonight? Because that'll be happening if you don't stop talking and concentrate on getting the shelter done." Adam muttered, not raising his voice but the other two could hear the anger in his tone and shared a glance of dismay.

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"Ugh, Griff and Hudson are so annoying! They get distracted so easily, and simply can't keep on track! It's taking everything I have not to scream at them." Adam muttered in annoyance.**

 **...**

As he finished tying the palm tree leaves to the roof, making sure it was secure and would block out most of the rain, an idea formed out of nowhere in Griff's head and he looked at Adam and Hudson, a wide grin on his face.

"Hey guys, how about the three of us form an alliance? That way, even if we lose, we'd have no need to worry because we'll hold the majority!" Griff suggested with a grin on his face. Hudson also smiled.

"That's a great idea! You're a great friend, Griff, and I'd love to be in an alliance with you!" Hudson accepted. Adam noted that Hudson didn't call him a friend, but didn't decide to bring it up and simply nodded in response, thinking of the alliance as nothing but a ticket to the merge.

Arianna and Dale arrived back at camp with the firewood. As they walked towards the shelter where the other three were sitting, Arianna immediately noticed the outcast of the three; Adam. She smirked deviously, rememberimg this for later. She knew exactly who their last alliance member should be.

 **Sea Tribe _(Miles, Rebekah, Brooke, Mike and Olivia)_**

On the way to their beach, Rebekah, Brooke and Olivia walked with Miles, asking him question-after-question about his prosthetic arm, having seemingly never ending curiosity about it. _"Did it hurt to get it put on?"_ and _"Can you shower with it on?"_ were a few of the many inquiries spewed at him. All of which Miles answered with a smile on his face.

Mike was walking behind the four of them, his eyes on the ground, occasionally looking up, staring daggers at Miles' back before his vision drifted to Brooke who was walking right next to him.

 **Confessional: Mike Jones**

 **"I can't believe that Miles! Just because he has a prosthetic arm all the girls, including Brooke, are all over him! As soon as I was starting to get close to Brooke too...we were put on the same tribe and everything! Not that I like her or anything...she's just a friend!" Mike said awkwardly, averting his gaze from the camera staring at him.**

 **...**

As she was talking to Miles, Brooke suddenly realised that Mike wasn't with them. Glancing behind, she noticed Mike trailing behind and smiled brightly, waving to him. Mike looked up at her, struggling to hide his annoyance.

"Mike, come join us! Miles' life is really interesting!" Brooke beamed. Miles, Rebekah and Olivia stopped to look at him, all three of them smiling.

"I'm sure it is..." Mike grumbled in response. Brooke's smile faded, and her expression changed to that of confusion.

"Are you okay?" Brooke asked in concern. Mike couldn't help glaring at her, shocking her.

"Oh, do you actually want to know how I'm doing for a change? I'm fine, thank you very much." Mike replied sarcastically. "Maybe you should ask Miles how he's doing, considering how much you're clinging onto him."

The last four words were spoken with pure venom. Brooke, completely and utterly surprised, didn't know how to answer for a moment. Miles, Rebekah and Olivia had fallen silent, awkwardly listening to this, unsure whether to step in or not.

"What's the matter with you?! I'm just trying to get to know my tribemates!" Brooke replied, feeling hot embarrassment rush to her cheeks. She hated making scenes. Mike rolled his eyes.

"Oh, of course! You're getting to know your tribemates! Excuse me, but I don't think I've seen you say a word to Rebekah or Olivia, and you haven't spoken to me since we left the dock!" Mike snapped.

"Is this what it's all about? You want attention?" Brooke asked, hardly believing how childish Mike was acting. "Why are you acting so jealous? It's not like we're in a relationship or anything!"

That last setence spoken from Brooke's lips stung Mike like acid and he fell silent, embarrassed. His eyes dropped to the ground. Deciding to take action, Miles stepped forward to defend Brooke.

"I apologise, Mike." Miles said, sounding sincere. Mike looked at him, shocked, and Brooke also seemed surprised. She was about to say he shouldn't apologise but he continued. "I apologise for taking up all the time. I apologise for gettimg into a car crash. I apologise for losing my left arm. I apologise for having a prosthetic."

"That isn't what I meant..." Mike mumbled, suddenly feeling guilty.

"If you wanted a conversation with any of us; me, Rebekah, Olivia or Brooke, you could have just asked. Want it or not, I'm in your tribe, and we're supposed to be working together, not arguing like this. I wanted to keep the peace, but I suppose you can't let that happen." Miles said, staying calm. Once he was finished he turned around and walked away, leaving Mike speechless. Brooke turned around and glared at him before running after Miles.

Not known to anyone else, after Miles had turned around he smirked deviously, realising he had already begun manipulating the tribe and turning them against Mike.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

" **I don't know what's up with Mike! One minute he's really nice, and I thought I was actually falling for him, but the next he turns into a complete jerk! He completely embarrassed me out there in front of the other three. I'm not sure if I like him anymore..." Brooke muttered sadly.**

 **...**

"Why is she on his side...?" Mike muttered to himself, watching as she and Miles disappeared. He noticed Olivia and Rebekah a little ways up the path and walked quickly to catch up with them. When he started walking next to him he heard Olivia groan and Rebekah look at him in irritation. Wincing slightly, he tried to ignore it. "I know you may not be my biggest fans right now, but will you two vote with me to get rid of Miles? He's nothing but trouble."

"Mike, I'm gonna be frank." Rebekah admitted. "You're nothing but trouble. At the moment, anyway. Miles has done nothing wrong; to be honest, right now I like him a lot more than you. You'd have to torture me to the point of death to get me to vote for him over you. You're starting drama out of nothing!"

Rebekah walked away. Mike turned to Olivia, his last hope, but she furiously shook her head, following Rebekah.

"How could he turn the entire tribe against me so quickly...?" Mike questioned outloud when he was alone. He realised Miles was a force to be reckoned with, and if he wanted to beat him and win back Brooke's favour he would have to think of an even better strategy to battle him with.

Brooke caught up with Miles, who was nearing camp. They walked in silence for a while, Brooke thinking of things to say and Miles looking straight ahead at the path.

"I'm so sorry for Mike's behaviour. I truly have no idea why he would act like that. He's so embarrassing..." Brooke said quietly, putting her hand on her head as she thought about the situation, her embarrassment only just starting to die down.

"It's okay. To tell the truth, I think I overreacted a bit myself." Miles admitted. In reality, this was a complete lie and he was simply trying to manipulate Brooke, but he sounded so genuine she immediately believed him even though she was good at telling when people were lying. Brooke furiously shook her head.

"Don't you dare apologise! You have no need to! Mike is the one who overreacted; he was being childish and petty." Brooke said. She had decided to stay away from Mike for a while unless it was absolutely necessary she had to talk to him.

"Thank you." Miles said, smiling. However, almost immediately afterwards that smile became a smirk. "I think Mike has a crush on you."

"Wha...?" Brooke said, her face blushing red. She started feeling giddy, but then her mind brought her back to the current situation and she became serious. "I kinda thought so too...but after he reacted like that I'm really not sure anymore."

"He must be the jealous type." Miles suggested with a grin.

"Shut up!" Brooke said playfully, softly punching Miles in the shoulder before giggling. A few seconds passed, and Miles' grin disappeared. It was time for him to enact his plan.

"No doubt we're going to have to elimimate someone at some point. You've probably thought about this, right?" Miles said. Brooke nodded, wondering where he was going with this and hoping it wouldn't lead to the suggestion of Mike's elimination. "I don't want to see you go, and I don't want to be eliminated either. I can see you being a really strong competitor, so I was thinking the two of us could be in an alliance?"

"Of course! I think you're a really strong competitor too!" Brooke said, happily accepting. Miles smiled, then his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"We'll need one more person to secure control in the tribe. I don't particularly believe they're going to be very useful in the alliance, but I suppose we can align with Olivia or Rebekah for now until we find someone better when the merge comes." Miles says. He noticed Brooke looked uncomfortable, and his eyebrow raised. "Is something wrong?"

Brooke glanced up at Miles, but didn't say anything. She still had feelings for Mike. She didn't want to admit it, but she did. She didn't want to see him eliminated, and the best way to prevent that from happening was for him to join the alliance. She knew Miles wouldn't like it, however, and she was conflicted. Did she really want to give up her chance at an alliance to defend someone whom she just argued with?

"Um...is it okay if...instead of Rebekah or Olivia joining...maybe Mike does instead?" Brooke tentatively asked, making sure not to sound forceful. Miles gave Brooke a firm, calculating look, but inside his plan was going perfectly and he was struggling not to smirk.

"I wouldn't feel safe being in an alliance with somebody who hates me, and I would feel less inclined to protect them." Miles replied.

"Mike doesn't hate you, he just overreacted! I'm sure he'll be back to normal later." Brooke said, trying desperately to persuade Miles.

"I'm not sure." Miles said simply.

"What if Mike apologises? Then will you let him in the alliance? I don't want to see him eliminated." Brooke admitted, her voice betraying a hint of emotion when she spoke the last sentence. Noticing she was starting to get upset, Miles sighed, gazing down at his prosthetic arm.

"If Mike apologises, then I will consider. He has until the end of the first immunity challenge to do so. If he doesn't, I will simply recruit either Olivia or Rebekah and Mike will be our first target." Miles explained. Brooke nodded, realising this was the best she was going to get for a while, and started feeling determined to make Mike apologise.

When Brooke turned around to look back down the pathway, Miles couldn't suppress a mischievous smirk. He had no intention of letting Mike in the alliance; he was simply acting like he had a chance to keep Brooke loyal for the time being. Then, when the time was right, he would dispose of her too.

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby and Sasha)_**

The five members of the Sand Tribe walked to their beach in almost complete silence, the only talking being when they introduced themselves. They were either too nervous to speak, not in the mood or already thinking about their strategy for the game. Sasha tripped over a tree root as she walked and cried out in surprise, slamming into Ingrid. She fell into a tree, slamming imto the trunk and crying out in pain. Kevin, Zane and Gabby turned around to see her clutching her injured arm, glaring at Sasha who's eyes were wide with fear.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I promise!" Sasha said timidly, her voice shaking. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

"You did that on purpose." Ingrid seethed before wincing in pain, checking the scratch on her arm.

"I didn't! I really, really didn't! I'm so sorry!" Sasha weeped, wiping her eyes to try and clear her vision. Her lips trembled; she feared she had already lost her chance at making friends with Ingrid.

 **Confessional: Ingrid Sanders**

 **"Okay, so I maaaaaay have a little bit of a temper...okay, I get angry easily. Really easily. I feel awful about it; Sasha's so nice and I just yelled at her like that...she didn't deserve it. I've been trying to get my anger under control; I hope it won't turn the others against me. I'll apologise to her later." Ingrid said as she held her hand over her wound, feeling guilty.**

 **...**

Kevin, Zane and Gabby watched the scene go down, feeling sorry for Sasha and shock at Ingrid's sudden outburst.

"I know the game just started, and I may be jumping the gun a little," Kevin began, his eyes wide as he watched Ingrid glaring daggers at the crying Sasha. "But if Ingrid keeps up this anger over such little things, she may be too unsafe to keep around."

"I agree." Gabby nodded in understanding.

"Come on guys, don't be too hasty. I mean, she's pretty. That's a reason to keep her around, right?" Zane said with a mischievous smile. Gabby scoffed and rolled her eyes, looking lazily at Zane.

"Is there any girl you won't flirt with?" The football player asked in annoyance.

"You'd strugge to find one." Zane said with a wink.

"There's no chance." Gabby said, shaking her head and pretending to be sick before glaring at Zane. Frightened and unnerved, he looked away.

 **Confessional: Zane Wood**

 **"I'm happy I'm here. Kevin seems like a cool guy I'll get along with, and I'm hoping to find the girl of my dreams." Zane said, grinning. "I may flirt to try and get there but it's definitely not my main hobby or anything. Anyway, Ingrid seems fine but I don't want to flirt with her; she may get mad, and I don't wanna be dealing with that. I have a temper myself so this won't end well if we get into a fight. I'm here for one thing and that's the prize...and hopefully to not get last place."**

 **...**

Later on, the five were building camp. Kevin walked back from the woods, holding three batches of bananas in his hands with a proud smile on his face. Gabby and Zane were in the woods, partly obscured by the trees. They had decided the forest was the best place to put the shelter because the trees would block out the rain and it wasn't at risk of being swept away by the tide when it came in. Stopping for a moment, Gabby stared out at the beach, noticing Ingrid standing alone, staring at something.

Following her gaze, she realised she was watching Sasha, who was struggling to carry firewood. Every time she picked up a log she dropped another, and tears were starting to form in her eyes. Gabby sighed, knowing that if they ignored each other it would only bring the tribe apart, and she walked over to Ingrid.

"Go make up with her." Gabby said quite forcefully, almost demanding Ingrid. She turned to look at her. "Help her carry the wood while you're at it. I don't want to see the tribe weakened and us going to all the eliminations because of you two."

"I don't know...what if she hates me?" Ingrid asked, shocking Gabby. How could her mood change so quickly from being so angry to being a sweetheart?

"Really? You don't seem like the type of person to care what people think of you, especially after that performance." Gabby said, folding her arms. Ingrid looked at the ground. Realising it wasn't helping, Gabby decided to change her tactic and she softly placed a hand on Ingrid's shoulder. "If you don't talk to Sasha, she may think you really don't care about her and get even more upset, and you'll never know what she thinks of you. What if you're eliminated, or she's eliminated, and you haven't made up? You'll live the rest of your life knowing you made a timid girl cry; it'll eat you up."

"..." Ingrid looked at Gabby, then glanced at Sasha, thinking about her words. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks Gabby. You're right."

Ingrid left Gabby to walk over to Sasha, who had barely walked a few inches from where she was when Gabby started her conversation with Ingrid. Hearing footsteps, Sasha looked up and noticed Ingrid. She immediately dropped the firewood, holding her hands up, trembling.

"Ingrid, I'm so so so sorry! I promise I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm just so clumsy! I'm a disaster...please don't hate me!" Sasha wailed, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"I should be the one apologising. You fell, that's all it was, and I took it way too far. I never should have gotten angry in the first place. To tell the truth, I have quite a bad temper." Ingrid admitted. Sasha fell silent. "And...I was hoping...we could maybe be friends?"

Sasha started crying again, but this time it was out of happiness. She leapt at Ingrid, hugging her tightly, agreeing over and over again. The two remained in an embrace for a moment before they separated and picked up the firewood Sasha had dropped. As they started walking to where Gabby, Zane and Kevin were setting up camp, Ingrid turned to look at her.

"You know what? How about we make an agreement? Us two to the end, no matter what." Ingrid said, smiling warmly. Sasha smiled softly back.

"Okay." She said, but when Ingrid crouched down to put the wood on the beach Sasha's expression turned to that of uncertainty.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I'm r-really happy that I'm f-friends with Ingrid, and we made that deal to the end together...but I'm r-really worried. What if she d-doesn't like me or wants to work with me a-anymore after I t-tell her my secret? I-I won't tell her, not yet! I can't risk it..." Sasha said quietly, stammering, thinking about Ingrid hating her and shaking in fear.**

 **...**

"You two look like you've made up." Kevin noted with a smile on his face. Ingrid and Sasha both exchanged a glance, beaming.

"Yeah! We've become friends, right Sasha?" Ingrid said and Sasha nodded happily, before the latter gasped in amazement at their shelter, which was already quite large and seemed secure.

"Wow...you three made this in such a short time...? It's amazing!" Sasha asked in amazement. Kevin smiled, blushing slightly.

"Thanks. I love building things, heh." He said. While he had a short conversation with Sasha and Ingrid and offered them a banana, Gabby watched the two newly-made friends with a frown on her face.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"I mean, I'm glad that they aren't arguing anymore, and I am the one who got Ingrid to apologise, but I don't want them to get so close they form an alliance or anything! As much as it pains me, I'll do anything to win and that includes breaking up Sasha and Ingrid's friendship before it grows too much." Gabby plotted, starting to regret her previous decision.**

 **...**

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Jayna)_**

"Yeah, one of my favourite things to do is write! I usually just write stories of all different genres." Connor said to Jackie as they walked to camp. Both were getting invested in their conversation, and every few sentences they would laugh together about a joke. "Who knows, maybe I'll write a story about my experience on this island and the competition once we get out of here?"

"That sounds great! I'd love to be in a book." Jackie gigled, then her eyes widened in amazement. "Ooh, imagine if it gets published! All twenty of us would be celebrities!"

"We're already gonna be on TV." Connor pointed out with a smile.

"Oh yeah! I forgot." Jackie admitted and the two started laughing. Oswald raced to catch up with them and walked next to Jackie.

"Hey Jackie!" Oswald said with a grin. Connor noticed that he didn't greet him, but chose not to bring it up and cause unwanted drama. "The sea looks really warm today. How about you come for a swim with me when we reach camp? It's boiling out, it would definitely cool us down."

"Um...sure!" Jackie replied politely, smiling, feeling slightly awkward at Oswald's risque flirt. Oswald winked at her before leaving.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"I don't know whether I'm the luckiest or the unluckiest person in the entire world. I mean, I'm with Jackie, which is brilliant, but of course Oswald is in the tribe as well! What are the chances of that? How am I meant to talk to Jackie and try to get closer to her when the flirter is around all the time? Ugh..." Connor said, sighing despondently. "He seems like a nice guy to be friends with, but not if he's climging onto her all the time."**

 **...**

"Why do you let him flirt with you all the time? If anything, all he does is offend you." Connor said. Jackie looked at him and smiled.

"I suppose I'm just too kind to dash his hopes." Jackie admitted with a shrug. Connor glanced behind him to where Oswald was walking on his own on the pathway, admiring his surroundings, and told Jackie he would be back soon before heading over to Oswald, who smiled when he saw him.

"What can I do for you?" He asked politely, making Connor feel slightly guilty about comfronting him. He was a peacekeeper, and hated fighting, so he made sure what he said wasn't too hostile.

"Hey Oswald. I just wanted to talk to you. It's about Jackie." Connor said. Oswald's eyes glimmered with curiosity. "I just wanted to ask that you stop being so rude to her; I'm not sure if she likes all your 'flirting'."

"Oh...I don't mean to be rude when I flirt. It's just became an aspect of my personality and I've stopped thinking about how it could affect others. I'm sorry if it hurt yours or Jackie's feelings." Oswald apologised, being genuine. Connor, expecting more of an argument, was surprised at this and smiled at him, nodding in appreciation before leaving. Oswald eyed him suspiciously.

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"Looks like wrapping Jackie around my finger won't be as easy as I originally thought. That writer boy likes her, I can tell, and he'll no doubt be defending her at every opportunity. The only way I'll truly get her on my side is if I get rid of him...I'm going to have to turn Jackie against him. It won't be that hard; I've always been good at placing seeds of doubt amidst others." Oswald muttered, annoyed that he already had an enemy this early in the game.**

 **...**

Jayna watched Oswald, Jackie and Connor talking further on up the path and sighed, tentatively glancing to her right where Scar was walking next to her. He hadn't said a single word since he corrected Chris on the dock, and it was starting to freak her out. She had tried many times to start some sort of conversation with him, such as whistling and pointing out animals that flew or scurried past, but nothing helped. She was starting to question if he was even human; his expression never changed, and his eyes were set on the path ahead. He had an empty stare that made Jayna shudder. She wasn't used to being so quiet!

"Hey, Scar, are there any whales in the sea around the island?" Jayna asked. As soon as she said the last word Scar's head snapped towards her extremely quickly, startling her and almost causing her to scream. Scar softly shook his head, and Jayna noticed it twitching and began to feel even more creeped out. "Uh...then I suppose we won't be having a whale of a time while we're competing! Hahahaha! Um...hahaha...did you get it? Scar?"

It was as if he didn't even hear her. He didn't reply or make a face or anything. She slowly and awkwardly died out her laughter, and soon she realised they were walking in silence again. Determined not to let it happen again, Jayna glanced at his clothes.

"Hey, what's up with your choice of clothing?" Jayna asked. Scar's head slowly looked down at his orange jumpsuit then moved up to stare into Jayna's eyes.

"I don't want to talk about it." Scar said, sounding quite stern. Not wanting to anger him, Jayna quickly nodded and fell silent again for a while, when she suddenly had an idea. To make it further in the game, she would have to form an alliance at some point! Scar was the perfect first member!

"Okay, I'm just gonna count my chickens-wait, no, cut to the chase. I always get my sayings mixed up." Jayna said, smiling goofily. Of course, no smile or chuckle came from Scar's lips. He simply stared at her, waiting for what she had to say. She pointed at the other three, who had just separated. "I don't know if you've noticed, but right now we're the outcasts in the tribe. And us outcasts have to stick together, so we can outlast everyone else, right? How about the two of us stick together for a while, in an alliance? It'll make us a lot stronger."

Jayna waited for a while for Scar to reply, who seemed to be contemplating his decision. After a few moments, he slowly nodded and Jayna smiled in relief.

 **Reward Challenge**

The four tribes entered the challenge area, which was currently set at a beach. They immediately noticed four piles of different coloured pieces that, when put together, created something. Far in the distance, four buoys were floating on the water, moving with the waves but not drifting away because they were chained to the sea bed. Chris stood in the middle of the colourful pieces with a grin on his face. Once they were all on their mats, he spoke.

"Welcome contestants! I hope you've all set up camp and made some new friends. Here, in a few moments, you will be competing in your first ever reward challenge!" Chris said in excitement. Some of the contestants clapped and cheered in response. "Would you like to know what you're playing for?"

The contestants cried out excitedly, desperately wanting to know the reward they were fighting for. Chris smiled and clicked his fingers and Chef wheeled in something draped in a cloth on a platform, wheezing for breath. He stopped by Chris and collapsed to the ground, panting.

"I don't get paid enough for this..." Chef grumbled under his breath. Chris looked down at him in disgust.

"You won't be getting paid at all if you keep up that attitude!" Chris retorted, glaring at him. Chef got to his feet, spat in the sand then left, mumbling curses against Chris under his breath. Chris rolled his eyes, then noticed everyone staring at him and got back into character. "Anyway, what you're playing for! Well..."

He yanked the white cloth, which fell to the ground and revealed a huge, clean king-sized bed. The pillows had been fluffed up and the duvet looked cozy, and all the contestants gasped in amazement.

"A king-sized bed!" Chris announced. Once the excitement had died down slightly, he indicated to the colourful pieces and the buoys out in the water. "Now for the challenge rules. Two members of your tribe will work on putting together all of these pieces, which when complete will make a boat. The remaining three must run it down to the ocean and use the oars to paddle out to the buoys, take your respective tribe flags and paddle back to shore. Then, one of the two who put the boat together must run up the beach and put the flag in the respective holder. The first tribe to do so wins! And, just for clarification, the Sky Tribe's colour is officially blue, the Sea Tribe's colour is red, the Sand Tribe's colour is yellow and the Serenity Tribe's colour is green. Now, decide who will be doing what!"

For the Sky Tribe, they decided Arianna and Dale would stay behind to construct the boat, and Hudson, Adam and Griff would collect the flag.

For the Sea Tribe, they decided Rebekah and Olivia would construct the boat, and Miles, Mike and Brooke would collect the flag.

For the Sand Tribe, Sasha and Kevin were chosen to put the boat together, and Gabby, Zane and Ingrid would collect the flag.

Finally, for the Serenity Tribe, Jayna and Jackie would stay behind to construct the boat, and Oswald, Scar and Connor would collect the flag.

"Ready? Go!" Chris announced, and the tribes started shouting encouragement as they watched two of their members quickly attempt to put the boat together.

Sasha found two pieces that fit together but strugged to get them to click. After trying a few times, she started to tear up in fear she would lose for her tribe. Kevin reassured her that it was okay and that all she could do was try her hardest. Sasha, determined thanks to Kevin's motivation, managed to click the pieces together and smiled in relief, continuing to search through the pile of broken pieces.

Jackie and Jayna were speeding through their part of the challenge, finding piece after piece after piece. Every time one clicked their tribe would cheer excitedly, causing the other tribes to start worrying. Sasha and Kevin, however, were starting to catch up, and soon they were neck and neck. Meanwhile, the stragglers were Arianna and Dale from the Sky Tribe and Olivia and Rebekah from the Sea Tribe, who could barely find any pieces that clicked.

Unfortunately for the Sky Tribe, Dale's asthma started at the worst possible time and he started gasping for breath. Pretending to forget he had asthma, Arianna angrily snapped for him to focus and hurry up. Dale took a pump then glared at Arianna before continuing to work on the boat.

Sasha and Kevin managed to overtake Jayna and Jackie and finish first, their boat completely constructed. After briefly congratulating the two, Ingrid, Gabby and Zane picked up the boat, surprised at its heavy weight, and slowly made their way down to the shore. The other tribes noticed this and started hurrying, making more mistakes.

Luckily for them, Gabby had no intention of winning, her sole intention in the challenge being to exploit Ingrid's temper further. As they got closer to the shore, Gabby slammed into the side of the boat on purpose, hitting Ingrid and causing her to fall over with a scream and hit the sand, causing the boat to sag to a side. Hiding her amusement, Gabby feigned shock and let go, running over to Ingrid and holding out her hand, asking if she was okay. Ingrid angrily slapped Gabby's hand away. Zane noticed this and angrily snapped at Ingrid to stop being so petty. Ingrid looked at him in shock but didn't go any further and got to her feet, and the three continued running, Gabby grinning deviously to herself.

While the three struggled to get back on track, the Serenity and Sky Tribes had overtaken them and were tied, both teams hopping in their boats at the same time. Olivia and Rebekah, meanwhile, were still struggling with the boat and had only just constructed half of the pieces. Mike, Miles and Brooke shouted out words of encouragement, occasionally glancing behind them at the other tribes.

Connor, Oswald and Scar battled against the waves, powerfully stroking with their oars, moving in a straight line to their flag. In minutes they were there and Connor retrieved it, putting it in his lap as they stroked back to shore. Griff, Adam and Hudson weren't having nearly as much luck and the current was slowly dragging them off course. As they desperately tried to row to the buoys, they actually capsized and fell in the water, giving the Serenity Tribe a huge lead.

Zane, Gabby and Ingrid finally reached the water just as Connor, Oswald and Scar made it back to the beach and they realised with dismay that they had no chance. They dropped the boat and watched as Connor handed the flag to Jayna, who ran quickly up to their holder, slamming it in at the same time that Rebekah and Olivia finally finished the boat. Jayna, Jackie, Oswald and Connor screamed in happiness and even Scar couldn't help smiling slightly, proud of his team. The other three tribes groaned in dismay and stared sadly at the bed.

"Congratulations, Serenity Tribe! The bed will be at your camp by the time you return." Chris said. As the Serenity Tribe congratulated each other, smiles all around, it was the same on the other tribes except for the happiness. After a few moments, the tribes bid farewell to each other and started walking back to their respective camps.

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Jayna)_**

The tribe entered camp, looking around excitedly, and noticed the bed laying on the sand by the edge of the forest, as fluffy and clean as it looked when it was first revealed before the challenge. They all ran towards it and sat down, sighing in joy as they sank down imto the velvety depths. After the initial excitement was over with, the five got to the necessary arrangements. After Connor realised it was only big enough for two, causing Jayna to exclaim "Three's a crowd!" in response, they spent the next five minutes deciding who would have the bed and who would remain in the hammocks or in the shelter.

"I do not require a bed." Scar stated simply as soon as the discussion began, then silently and mysteriously disappeared into the trees. Jayna watched him go.

"Um...I'm fine with a hammock, if you two lovebirds wanna decide who gets to sleep with Jackie." Jayna teased with a smile, talking to Connor and Oswald who blushed fiercely and looked away from Jackie and Jayna, doing anything to avoid eye contact with them. Jayna then excused herself and also disappeared into the trees, following in the direction Oswald walked in, hoping to catch up with him.

"Maybe, if nobody wants to volunteer, we could draw straws? It's the most fair." Jackie suggested. Connor and Oswald glanced at each other then nodded. Jackie crouched down and picked up three blades of grass, making sure one was considerably shorter than the other two, then held them in her hand and shuffled them around with her eyes closed. "Whoever has the shortest blade of grass doesn't get to sleep on the bed."

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"Knowing my luck, I'll get the short straw and Jackie and Oswald will get to share the bed. I hope that doesn't happen...lady luck, shine down on me!" Connor said hopefully.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"Knowing my luck, I'll get the short straw and Jackie and that writer boy will get to share the bed. That better not happen...lady luck, shine down on me!" Oswald said hopefully.**

 **...**

"On the count of three, we reveal our blades, okay?" Jackie asked after Oswald and Connor had chosen one, leaving her with the last. The two nodded. She slowly counted down from three, and when she yelled zero they all showed their blades. Jackie smiled. "Oh well! I hope the two of you enjoy the bed together; I don't mind sleeping in a hammock anyways."

As Jackie left the pair and went into the woods, heading to their shelter to get supplies for a hammock, Connor and Oswald glanced at their blades of grass and then at each other, completely horrified.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev & Oswald Pamesi**

 **"It was even worse than I thought!" They both cried.**

 **...**

Meanwhile, Jayna found Scar not that long after she started looking, and the alliance walked through the woods together, once again in silence. Just as she was about to say something, Scar suddenly stopped and stood as rigid as a post, his head slowly moving up to stare at a thick branch of a tree in front of him. All of a sudden, he leapt upwards, grabbing hold of the trunk. Jayna watched in silent amazement as Scar clambered up the tree like a squirrel until he reached the branch and lay down on it, leaning backwards against the bark.

"Is that comfortable?" Jayna asked curiously. Scar gave a small shrug.

"It'll do for me." He replied. Jayna, feeling extremely inquisitve, wanted to try it out for herself and prepared to leap onto the tree and climb up the same way Scar did. "No. Don't climb up."

Jayna looked up at him, slightly surprised and hurt, thinking he didn't want her there, but he continued.

"If you try to climb where I am, you'll most certainly fall and break your neck." Scar finished.

"How do you know?" Jayna asked. "It's not over until the fat lady counts her chickens!"

"I just know." Scar said. And just like that, the conversation was over. Scar leaned back against the tree again, staring up at the bright blue sky, the sun shining on his face. Jayna, meanwhile, was standing impatiently at the bottom of the trunk, desperate to have a meeting about their alliance but not wanting the others to hear. Eventually, she stopped caring and shouted up to him.

"It's really good that the two of us are in an alliance, but just the two of us won't cut it if Jackie and the crushers decide to team up." Jayna called. Scar listened carefully to what she was saying. "We need one more person."

"Who's on your mind?" Scar asked. Jayna, expecting and hoping Scar would name someone who he felt would work well in the alliance, looked at the ground, thinking hard. Who would be the most useful out of the three? Who would be the most loyal? Who would laugh at her puns? All of a sudden, she heard crunching footsteps coming from behind her and she turned around to see Jackie, who looked shocked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I hope I didn't interrupt anything...I was just looking for things to fix my hammock up with." Jackie apologised. Jayna shook her head with a wide grin on her face, realising who the last member of their alliance should be.

"No no, it's perfect! Oh, lady luck's really shining down on my chickens today!" Jayna said excitedly. After a moment, she glanced at Jackie then Scar, noticing both were looking at her oddly, and realised what she said. "Oh, sorry, I meant she's shining down on me. How come you aren't on the bed? I thought you would be the most likely."

"Well, we all wanted to sleep on it so I decided we should do it fairly, so we chose straws and I got the shortest." Jackie explained, smiling throughout. Jayna stifled laughter as she realised that Oswald and Connor would be sharing, then got back on track.

"I was hoping to ask you something, Jackie. Scar and I..." Jayna looked up at Scar for comfirmation to tell her. Scar nodded. "Scar and I are in an alliance, but we need one more person to hold majority over the tribe. I've thought hard about it, and I decided that out of you, Oswald and Connor, you're definitely the best candidate for our alliance. So, I was wondering...would you like to join?"

"I will." Jackie said happily, surprising Jayna, who thought she would rather stay with the other two. "Connor and Oswald, as much as I like them, are starting to annoy me with their constant attachment to me. I'd love to be in an alliance with you and Scar!"

"That's great news!" Jayna said happily, giving Jackie a tight hug, squeezing the breath out of her. She glanced up at Scar with a wide smile on her face, but noticed he didn't have any expression on his face. At first she thought she chose someone he didn't want, but then she remembered he never smiled and felt slightly relieved, then continued to hug Jackie.

 **Sea Tribe _(Miles, Rebekah, Brooke, Mike and Olivia)_**

Brooke looked around the camp. Their huge loss in the immunity challenge had soured the mood, and nobody really wanted to talk. Rebekah and Olivia were relaxing together in the ocean. Olivia wore a two-piece white bikini, and Rebekah wore a purple bikini with white flowers. Mike was nowhere to be seen. Brooke noticed Miles crouched down by the fire, stoking it and staring into the flames. She walked over to him and sat down on a log that they were using as a makeshift bench, and watched him for a moment.

"Did you notice?" She asked. Miles used the stick he was using to stoke the fire into the pit, then turned to look at her.

"Notice what?' He asked.

"During the challenge," Brooke began. "Olivia and Rebekah couldn't get the boat completed for ages, and by the time they did the challenge was already over."

"And your point is?" Mike persisted, although he already knew what she was implying. Brooke's eyes drifted over to the ocean and focused on Rebekah and Olivia, who were out of earshot.

"They're the weakest links. Mike's a lot stronger and more useful than the two of them are combined. If we elimimate Mike, we'll only continue to lose challenges if we keep the two of them along." Brooke said, having no idea if it was actually true about Mike being stronger, but hoping Miles wouldn't question it. However, she had no such luck.

"On the contrary, the three of us; myself, you and Mike didn't actually get the chance to show off our abilities during the challenge, so all five of us are equal right now." Miles said, standing up. "Neither of us know how good Mike actually is in challenges. For all we know, he could be even worse than Olivia and Rebekah. So for now my vote will not change to either of them; it's staying as Mike."

"I will get him to apologise to you." Brooke said, determined, and stood up and left Miles. He watched her leave, smirking at her confidence and the fact that his plan was working well.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"If I want to eliminate Mike, I'll need the majority. It'll take some time to persuade Brooke, so she isn't an option right now. Mike can't vote for himself, obviously, so my only chance lies with Olivia and Rebekah. I'll have to be clever with my words." Miles said, thinking hard.**

 **...**

Miles walked towards Olivia and Rebekah, frowning sadly and sighing, tears forming in his eyes. He stopped just short of the ocean, glancing down at his prosthetic arm and looking ashamed. Olivia and Rebekah noticed his expression and stopped swimming, looking at him in concern.

"Miles? What's wrong?" Olivia asked. Miles' eyes slowly moved up to met theirs then fell back down and he gave a small shake of his head. "Miles, if something's wrong please tell us. Don't keep it to yourself."

"I...I don't want to make a scene, but...it's what Mike just said to me." Miles replied. Olivia and Rebekah's eyes widened then narrowed in anger.

"What did he say?" Rebekah questioned.

"He...he thinks I'm using my prosthetic arm just to get closer to Brooke. And..and what really pset me was..he said he wishes something worse happened to me during the car crash." Miles lied, looking the two girls in the eye as he talked. The two gasped, completely horrified and shocked that even Mike would say such an awful thing.

"We can't let this keep happening. I'm gonna go talk to Mike and tell him what I really think." Rebekah said, stepping out of the water. She started walking past Miles but he softly grabbed her arm, stopping her. Their eyes met. Miles, feeing slightly awkward, let go and averted his gaze.

"Please, I don't want to start any drama that isn't necessary." Miles pleaded. Rebekah stared at him for a moment, then chose to comply and slowly walked back to the ocean. "But, I was thinking...and it truly pains me to think this, that if we lose the immunity challenge could the three of us vote for Mike? I was hoping we would befriend each other, but his attitude makes that impossible. I don't want to be too upset to compete..."

"Of course. Somebody that cruel shouldn't be in the game." Olivia stated and Rebekah nodded in agreement. Miles smiled gratefully, blinking his tears away.

"Thank you so much. I promise you won't regret this." Miles assured, before turning and walking back to the firepit, smirkimg deviously. His lie had been successful, and he had Olivia and Rebekah's votes firmly under his belt. His plan was working perfectly.

 **Confessional: Olivia Haas**

 **"What's the matter with Mike?! Hating on Miles because he lost an arm...how could anyone be so sadistic? I'll be happy to write his name on that slip of paper send him out of this show." Olivia said, shuddering at what Mike supposedly said.**

 **...**

Elsewhere, completely oblivious to Miles' scheming behind her back, Brooke found Mike not that far off the shelter. He was sitting against a tree in the woods, drawing patterns in the sand with a stick.

"Miles is thinking of voting for you." Brooke admitted, deciding not to sugercoat it. Mike, shocked, completely forgot about his drawings and got to his feet quickly. "However, I know a way to change his mind. I'm telling you this because...I don't want to see you go. I don't want anyone to go, really...but you especially."

"How do I change his mind?" Mike spluttered, appreciating that last comment from Brooke.

"You just have to apologise to him." Brooke explained. All of a sudden, Mike's desperation disappeared and was replaced with petty stubborness. He folded his arms.

"I'm not gonna grovel to stay in the game. That's now how I want to play." Mike refused. Starting to get iritated, Brooke pushed further.

"You'll hardly get to play at all if you get eliminated first because you won't say sorry!" Brooke snapped. "Get off your high horse and realise you'll actually still have a chance at the grand prize if you do this one thing!"

"Why do you think I have no chance of winning if I don't suck up to Miles? He isn't a god, Brooke! He's a regular teenager, like all the rest of us! Before you tell me to get down off my high horse, how about you yank him off his? He has you completely manipulated..." Mike spat venomously. Brooke's mouth opened slightly in shock, but then rage started fuelling her and she jabbed her finger at him.

"Miles isn't doing anything to me! Do you really expect me to be on your side? All you've done is ridicule him just because he has a prosthetic arm! He's done NOTHING to you." Broke retorted furiously. Mike stared at the ground, not speaking, his face dark with fury. Brooke stepped close to him, and reduced her voice to a whisper. "I don't know what I EVER saw in you. I'm starting to think I should vote for you too."

She spun around and silently left the clearing, leaving Mike on his own. He watched her leave then, angry and upset, kicked the tree he was just leaning against.

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Adam and Griff)_**

After a calm and peaceful meal of fruit and fish, the tribe split up. While Hudson, Adam and Griff stayed at camp, Arianna and Dale disappeared into the trees to have their first alliance meeting. As soon as they were safely hidden, Dale folded his arms and glared at Arianna.

"I didn't like what you did in the challenge, Arianna. You know full well I have asthma; there was no need to shout to me." Dale confronted firmly. Arianna mentally rolled her eyes, not in the mood to be dealing with his petty emotions and desperate to get to the strategy. She faked a sad face.

"Oh, Dale, I'm so sorry! I forgot!" Arianna lied, throwing her hands to her face. Dale eyed her suspiciously for a moment, but then unfolded his arms and nodded.

"I forgive you. Have you thought at all about who should join our alliance?" Dale asked. A devious grin flickered on Arianna's lips, and she nodded.

"I have. I noticed that, earlier on when Hudson, Griff and Adam were building the shelter, while the former two were laughing constantly and generally enjoying each other's company. Adam, on the other hand, just seemed plain annoyed! I'm sure he doesn't like them, and would be more than willing to work with us." Arianna explained. She peered out of the trees, noticing Adam sitimg with the other two, as expected out of the conversation. Dale looked at her, surprised. "He's perfect for our aliance."

"You're really observant, aren't you?" Dale said with a smile. Arianna looked at him and winked.

"You're lucky you're on my side."

Griff, Hudson and Adam were sitting around the fire, the former two joking around and laughing when Arianna and Dale were in the camp. However, as soon as he saw the two disappear into the trees, Griff leaned forward and hushed his voice.

"Okay, let's strategise. As much as I love Dale and Arianna, we're probably gonna lose at least once before we merge, maybe even twice, and we have to decide who we want to keep over the other." Griff explained. Hudson nodded in agreement, while Adam simply stared at him emotionlessly.

"I'm not sure why, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm feeling a bad vibe from Arianna. I don't know, I just...I feel like she's pretending to be someone she isn't. We should get rid of her before something happens. I've noticed Dale's generally happier around camp too, and I think he'd be better in challenges than Arianna." Hudson suggested. Griff clapped his hands together

"That settles it then. Arianna goes first if we lose." Griff finalised. He looked at Adam. "Are you okay with that?"

"Yes. It doesn't really matter though, does it? Both of them are going at some point." Adam said in frustration, agreeing if anything to shut him up; he hadn't yet decided if he was going to vote for Arianna. He noticed Hudson and Griff were staring at him, so he rolled is eyes and stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Uh-goodnight!" Griff said quicky and awkwardly, but Adam didn't care to say it back. He soon disappeared into the trees, and Griff looked at Hudson in concern. "We'll have to keep a close eye on him; right now he doesn't seem that loyal.

Hudson agreed.

 **Confessional: Hudson Ewing**

 **"Okay, so far tribe life is going good. No arguments, we're all great friends and I think we're really strong in challenges! I'm also in a strong alliance with Hudson and Adam, but for some reason I feel like Adam doesn't like us very much. I hope he doesn't betray us..." Hudson wished hopefully.**

 **...**

Adam entered the dark forest and trudged towards his hammock, tiredly clambering inside. He stared up at the leaves and the darkening world around him, his eyes slowly closing, when...

"Gah!" He cried as his hammock started swinging back and forth before he tunbled out of it and landed on the ground. A sharp pain shot up his leg. He slowly opened his eyes to se a dark face staring at him. After his vision adjusted, he realised it was Arianna. She was looking down on him with a cheerful smile on her face. "What do you want? Couldn't you see I was trying to sleep?"

"I want your vote." replied Arianna. Adam noticed Dale was also with them, standing behind Arianna, completely silent. She indicated to him. "Dale and I are in an alliance, but we need majority. We think you're the best candidate?"

"Why me? Why not Hudson? Or Griff?" Adam asked.

"Them two are far too friendly with each other to be in an alliance without the other. You're the only one left." Arianna explained, then smirked slightly. "I can see ho much you hate it whenever you're forced to be near them; you dislike them. So, wouldn't you like teaming up against them? We'll even give you a welcome gift; you can choose who goes first between Hudson and Griff. What do you say?"

Adam thought this over for a moment. If Griff and Hudson found out he betrayed them; would they be able to get revenge? No, they wouldn't have majority. And they're so nice they would probably forgive him right away. He looked at Arianna's who's arm was extended. He shook it. Dale and Arianna smiled.

"Sure."

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby and Sasha)_**

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Sasha whimpered over and over again as the Sand Tribe entered their camp. She believed that she was the sole cause for their failure, and was worried that everyone would hate her. "I'm so sorry I lost you all the challenge!"

"It's okay, it's fine Sasha." Ingrid replied sootingly, giving her a hug. Sasha sniffled. "If anything you were our best player in the whole tribe!"

"Agreed. You really were brilliant at putting the boat together, Sasha." Kevin agreed happily. Sasha gently broke up the hug and wiped her tears, looking at Ingrid and Kevin and smiling slightly.

"Thank you both." She said gratefully.

"We probably would've won the challenge if Ingrid hadn't fallen over. Don't get me wrong, it was absolutely hilarious, but I really wanted that bed." Zane pointed out. Ingrid shot a glare at him, anger starting to seep into her. "I know it wasn't your fault, but you didn't have to get so angry about it! You spent about five minutes shouting at Gabby before we finally started running again! We were winning, Ingrid!"

"Don't blame me! It's Gabby's fault; she pushed me." Ingrid claimed. Zane groaned in annoyance, and Gabby gasped.

"Ingrid, will you stop blaming me? Can't you just accept that you fell over? I didn't do a thing; why would I purposely throw away the chance at a king-sized bed?!" Gabby lied. Ingrid's hands balled into fists and she started shaking, her eyes shooting daggers at Gabby, who stared back at her calmly.

"I agree." Zane piped in. "Ingrid, if you don't get your anger under control soon, you're going to be our first target at the bonfire. Just a warning."

"ARGH!" Ingrid shouted out in fury, leaping towards Zane. However, before she could attack him Kevin and Sasha pulled her backwards, holding her back while Zane and Gabby exchanged a glance of dismay.

"Ingrid, please calm down!" Sasha begged quietly, slowly starting to lead her away so she wouldn't do any more damage to the relationships with her tribemates. Gabby grinned to herself; everyone was turning against her! Even Sasha was starting to express some doubt! As Sasha and Ingrid disappeared from sight, the other female of the tribe turned to look at Zane and Kevin, sighing and shaking her head.

"I fear Ingrid is getting worse and worse, possibly even delusional. We shouldn't have let her go of with Sasha alone; what if she hurts her? Like when she almost hit her after the poor girl accidentally pushed her into the tree." Gabby remembered. Kevin glanced at her in shock.

"No! Ingrid would never hurt Sasha...never!" Kevin exclaimed, however he had extreme doubts about what he said as soon as the words left his lips.

"Well, the only way to keep Sasha safe is to eliminate Ingrid at our first bonfire ceremony. It's the single possibility." Gaby suggested. Zane agreed instantly, but Kevin looked unsure.

"I don't know. If we vote out Ingrid, Sasha would be so upset...I don't know if I could tear away the only person she thinks of as a friend. It's just not right." Kevin said. Gabby looked him in the eyes.

"Would you rather see Sasha sad for a couple of days or injured permanently?" She asked. Kevin's eyes said it all. Gabby sighed, then glanced behind her. Sasha and Ingrid were nowhere to be seen. She looked at Kevin and Zane.

"It's decided. Ingrid's going the first time we lose."

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the beach, Sasha was sitting with Ingrid, watching her freak out angrily, desperately trying to calm her down. Ingrid spotted Gabby talking to Zane and Kevin and screamed, kicking sand across the beach.

"Gabby really did push me, Sasha! I'm not lying! Why does everyone think I'm lying?!" Ingrid cried furiously, her breathing rapid and her face red. "I promise!"

"I know she did. I believe you." Sasha replied, however she was simply saying this to try and calm Ingrid down. She believed that she had just fallen and was trying to pin the blame on someone else but didn't voice her thoughts. "Ingrid, I'm really scared that Gabby, Kevin and Zane are starting to think of you as a threat, or maybe even a danger. You need to do something about your anger, before you get eliminated. You're my best friend; my only friend on this island, and I don't want to see you go. Please, Ingrid."

Ingrid, with tears in her eyes, dropped to her knees and pulled Sasha in for a hug. The two stayed like this for a minute, completely silent, listening to the crashing of the waves and the rustling of the leaves in the forest.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sasha. That's a promise." Ingrid said, determined. "I-I'll try my hardest to calm down before it's too late."

 **Confessional: Ingrid Sanders**

 **"I don't know why Gabby's sabotaging me like this, and I really want to give her a piece of my mind but if I want to stay in the game I'll have to ignore it for now and confront her later. I have to stay in the game for Sasha. She needs me, and, to tell the truth, I need her too." Ingrid admitted. Tears started welling up in her eyes and she hurriedly wiped them away, wanting to be strong.**

 **...**

 **Day 2**

 **Immunity Challenge**

The twenty contestants, in their four tribes of five, arrived at the challenge area about halfway through the day ready and rested, prepared for the fight for safety. This challenge provoked considerably more nerves from the contestants than the reward challege, as if their tribe lost they would face elimimation. Nobody wanted to go first, but one of them had to. Chris was waiting for them. Their eyes scanned the challenge, and they began speculating what they would have to do.

There were four narrow beams of the colours red, blue, green and yellow, that seemed incredibly difficlt to walk on. They twisted and turned before coming to an end almost by the sea. At the end of the beams was a table with twelve bags of puzzle pieces. At the beginning of the beams was an empty table.

"Welcome, contestants! I hope you've had a good look at the challenge; it'll be a difficult one!" Chris said before giggling to himself. "Three of your members from your tribe will have to blance on these beams and walk to the end. If they fall, they must go right back to the beginning; no exceptions! Once they reach the end, they must pick up a bag of puzzle pieces and run back to your table.

"Once all three members have returned their puzzle pieces, the other two members of your tribe will have to construct a huge puzzle. The first three tribes to finish will win immunity, while the losing tribe will go to the bonfire where one of them will be eliminated." Chris said ominously. The contestants glanced nervously at each other. "Decide which three of you will walk the beam, and the two who will complete the puzzle."

For the Sky Tribe, the beam walkers were Arianna, Hudson and Adam. The puzzle completers were Dale and Griff.

For the Sea Tribe, the beam walkers were Rebekah, Olivia and Mike. The puzzle completers were Miles and Brooke.

For the Sand Tribe, the beam walkers were Gabby, Kevin and Zane. The puzzle completers were Ingrid and Sasha.

For the Serenity Tribe, the beam walkers were Scar, Oswald and Connor. The puzzle completers were Jackie and Jayna.

Chris signalled the challenge to begin, and the first four walkers slowly clambered onto their beams, steadying themselves and taking deep breaths before they advanced. Arianna, being very agile, walked quickly and remained stable, holding her arms out to her sides to stay balanced. She swiftly turned a corner, her eyes on the puzzle pieces in the distance. Rebekah stumbled slightly at the beginning and yelped, nibbling her lip and focusing. Her obsession with video games helped her with her balance, and she traversed across the beam quickly, neck and neck with Arianna. Scar sped acros the beam, easily taking and keeping the lead. Gabby wasn't far behind, being good at athletics herself.

Scar made it to the end first with no mistakes and hopped off, snatching his bag of puzzle pieces and running back to his tribe, followed by Arianna, Rebekah then Gabby, who finished at around the same time. Rebekah made it just after Scar, followed shortly by Arianna, and lastly Gabby. Their tribes cheered for them.

Oswald, determined to make the most of his small headstart, walking quickly across the beam. However, he began to get carried away and walked faster and faster before he was stumbling alone, his arms flailing wildly. With a cry, he fell off and hit the sand and his tribe cringed. By the time he made it back to the beam, Olivia for the Sea Tribe and Hudson for the Sky Tribe had already started walking. Being bad at running, almost every time he took a step he lost balance and fell off, letting Olivia's lead grow further and further as she utilised her slow and steady strategy. As Oswald and Hudson stumbled and fell and Olivia got closer to the puzzle pieces, Kevin finally was allowed to start walking along the beam. Gabby stopped running, panting heavily.

Kevin showed great skill on the beam, being very flexible, and quickly passed Oswald and Hudson. He started creeping up towards Olivia, who was yet to fall, and passed her too. He reached the end before the others were even halfway and picked up his bag, racing back to his tribe and allowing Zane, the last runner of the Sand Tribe to begin. Olivia finally got to the end after using her slow and steady strategy, relieved she didn't fall. She ran back to her tribe, and Oswald followed shortly after. Mike and Connor, the last balancers for the Sea and Serenity Tribes started balancing, putting the Sky Tribe in last.

Hudson was only about halfway. He was sweating and feeling incredibly anxious, hoping he wouldn't fall. Connor had brilliant stamina and lapped Hudson, quickly getting his puzzle pieces and running back to his tribe. As soon as e placed the puzzle pieces on his tribe's table, Jayna and Jackie started working on the puzzle while the runners clapped and cheered for them.

Hudson finally reached the end and went back to his tribe, ashamed with his performance. As Adam ran to the beam, Griff comforted him with a smile. Zane and Mike reached the end, and the Sand and Sea Tribes started on their puzzles, leaving just the Sky Tribe who were yet to begin. Luckily for them, Adam was very quick on his feet and made up the lost time.

Jackie and Jayna slowly worked through their puzzle, occasionally noticing a small mistake and having to remove a large portion to correct it. Sasha and Ingrid were completing theirs quickly and started overtaking them. Miles and Brooke also overtok Jackie and Jayna, who started to freak out, thankful that the Sky Tribe had done so bad during the first part of the challenge. Adam reached the end and, as Dale and Griff started on their puzzle, one of the tribes announced they had finished and raised up their hands triumphantly. As Chris checked it over, he smiled and revealed it was in fact correct.

"The Sand Tribe wins immunity!" He announced. Sasha and Ingrid hugged each other happily while Gabby, Kevin and Zane congratulated each other, cheering ecstatically. All five of them were safe for at least two more days! While the Sand Tribe celebrated their win, the other three tribes were still working to avoid elimination.

Miles noticed that himself and Brooke were in the lead out of those left and were very close to finishing. Desperate to get rid of Mike, he suddenly thought of a devious plan and smirked to himself. Just as they were down to their last four pieces, Miles scrambled up their puzzle with his prosthetic arm. The pieces fell everywhere and Brooke screamed in horror. Miles apologised, saying sadly that he ruined everything, but Brooke reassured him by saying that they still had a chance. Miles thanked her, then turned away and smirked evilly. Mike was the only person to notice this and gasped.

Thanks to Miles' sabotage, the Sky and Serenity Tribes soon finished and congratulated themselves happily. While Brooke, Rebekah and Olivia groaned sadly, and Miles feigned disappointment, Mike stared suspiciously at the man with the prosthetic arm.

"Congratulations to the Sky Tribe and the Serenity Tribe. You have won immunity, and may go back to camp happy. However, Sea Tribe, I will see you later at the bonfire. Goodbye for now." Chris said, dismissing them. As the other three tribes consoled them on their loss, the Sea Tribe walked slowly back to camp with a heavy heart, all five wondering who they were going to vote for.

 **The Bonfire**

It was nearing midnight when the five members of the Sea Tribe; Rebekah, Olivia, Miles, Mike and Brooke walked into the elimination area. The sky was dark and it was silent except for the crackling of the bonfire itself. The five sat down on logs set out for them and stared at Chris, occasionally glancing at each other out of nerves.

"Welcome, Sea Tribe. You lost the immunity challenge, and you now must eliminate one of your tribemates. But who? The votes will deicde that." Chris said, eyeing them all. "However, first I would like to have a chat with you."

"Excuse me, Chris. May I say something?' Mike said out of nowhere. Chris nodded, and Mike stood up. The other four stared at him, wondering what he was going to say. At first, his face was blank but then he grimaced at Miles, shooting daggers at him while pointing an accusing finger at his chest. "Miles threw the challenge."

While Olivia and Rebekah rolled their eyes and Brooke put her head in her hands, sighing, Miles simply continued staring in amusement for what his proof was going to be. Whatever he said, he would counter it.

"Mike, please just sit down before you make it worse!" Brooke snapped, almost pleadingly. Mike shook his head, determined to defeat Miles. He wouldn't be the one going home tonight.

"Think of it logically, Brooke. Miles is desperate to get rid of me; and why is that? Because, right now, I'm the only person standing in his way. The only person forcing him to keep his distance; stopping him from taking complete manipulative control over you. If I'm gone, he won't have any contenders for your vote. Also, isn't it a bit of a coincidence that Miles' prosthetic 'messed up' just as you were about to win the challenge and immunity? He's had it for years; he should have it under control by now. Miles lied to you, Brooke. He purposely threw the challenge to eliminate me!" Mike explained, displaying a very strong case. Brooke listened to his words carefully, and realised with a shock that they actually did make sense. Rebekah and Olivia shared an uncertain glance with each other. Miles was surprised that Mike had figured out his exact plan, but didn't show it. He chuckled.

"I applaud you for the attempt, Mike. Absolutely ridiculous accusations, all of them. You've been targeting me from the beginning just because I'm different. Just because I have this." Miles defended himself, tapping his prosthetic. "You're nothing but a prejudiced fool. You think I'm too weak to do well in the tribe, don't you? I was hoping we could be friends, but I suppose because I have this arm it is no longer possible."

Brooke realised that he didn't actually comment specifically on any of the claims made from Mike and glanced suspiciously at Miles; was Mike right? Did Miles throw the challenge?

"Stop using sympathy so the girls will side with you! I can't be fooled by your tricks!" Mike shouted angrily.

"I am doing nothing. It's your attitude that's turning them against you." Miles said. His calm tone annoyed Mike even more. Mike looked at Brooke, who's eyes were flickering betwee the two of them. She looked incredibly conflicted. Olivia and Rebekah had a short, whispered conversation and decided their mutual choice.

"Brooke, please trust me. Vote for Miles. He'll do nothing but manipulate you, using you until you're no longer useful." Mike begged. Brooke avoided his gaze.

"It's time to vote. Please walk up the path, write the name of the person you wish to eliminate on one of the slips of paper and put it in the box. Olivia, will you please go first?" Chris asked. Olivia nodded and stood up. Everyone watched as she walked along the path.

The voting began.

Olivia went up to vote.

Mike went up to vote.

"Your plan will fail. Your evil, devious plan will fall down on top of you!"

Miles went up to vote.

"I am impressed that you managed to deduce my plan. However, it was not nearly enough."

Rebekah went up to vote.

Brooke went up to vote.

"Miles? Mike? Miles? Mike? Oh no, who do I side with?!"

After Brooke had voted and sat back down, staring into the fire with doubt and regret in her eyes, Chris colleted the box and opened it. Everyone was filled with nerves; nobody looked at each other. Chris picked up the first vote and unfolded it, then revealed it to the five. A pang of worry shot into the heart of the victim.

"One vote for Mike." Chris began. He pulled out the next vote. "Another vote for Mike. That's two votes for Mike, and zero for everybody else. One more vote, Mike, and you're eliminated."

Mike glared at Miles, who avoided his gaze. Brooke looked distraught.

"One vote for Miles." He barely moved at that. He was expecting that one. What he wasn't expecting was what came next. "Another vote for Miles. Two votes for Mike, two votes for Miles, only one vote left."

Miles raised an eyebrow in suspicion, trying his hardest to stay calm. He glanced at Rebekah, Olivia and Brooke; none of them were looking at him. Mike felt a flicker of hope; could he actually survive the bonfire?

"The first contestant eliminated from Total Drama: Eracy Island is..." Chris stopped to create suspense. Everyone waited anxiously. Mike and Miles looked at each other, hoping that the name read wouldn't be theirs. "Mike."

Mike looked down at the ground. Miles released a breath that he had been holding in since his name was read for a second time, then looked at Olivia, Rebekah and Brooke, trying to decipher who had voted for him. Mikes stood up and looked at the three girls.

"Miles is nothing but trouble. It won't be long before you realise that, and I hope you do before it's too late. My advice is that you three stick together at all costs; form an alliance. Exclude Miles, and don't even let him get one of you alone to talk to you. He's, sadly, a brilliant manipulator and if he manages to weasel further in the game he may be unstoppable. Use your power of numbers to stop him before he grows too powerful; don't lose your chance." Mike said, refusing to even look at Miles. Brooke, Olivia and Rebekah warily looked at Miles who was staring straight forward, listening to every word but showing no emotion.

Then Mike was gone; the first contestant eliminated. The first stepping stone leading towards a huge game of deception, trust and strategy that would only grow and grow as contestants got closer and closer to the grand prize.

 **Final Confessional: Mike Jones**

 **"Eliminated first...everyone's worst nightmare. Oh well, at least I can feel happy because I stopped anyone else from feeling so embarrassed and ashamed. I hope Brooke defeats Miles. She needs to be strong and smart, and has to get the trust of Olivia and Rebekah before he gets to them first."**

 ** _..._**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and please review telling me what you think! Thank you, and see you soon!**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 ** _Pre-Merge_**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones**


	6. Chapter Three: Lies and Idols

**Thank you for the reviews everyone! I'm glad that I got most of the characters right, and all the constructive criticism I've received I've taken into account. Please enjoy!**

 **...**

 **Sea Tribe** ** _(Miles, Rebekah, Brooke and Olivia)_**

The four members of the Sea Tribe made it back to camp after a long walk from the bonfire. It was late night, and the only source of light came from the full moon. Nobody had talked on the way back, and the mood was tense and awkward when they eventually arrived. Miles was glad that the vote had worked out, but wasn't expecting it to be so close. He turned to look at Olivia, Rebekah and Brooke, who stopped walking and stared at him.

"Who voted for me?" He asked, making sure there was no hostility in his voice. Olivia and Rebekah glanced at each other.

"We both mutually agreed to vote for Mike." Olivia replied. Miles nodded then turned to look at Brooke, who's eyes were on the ground.

"Brooke, I thought I could trust you. I thought you knew Mike was delusional and no good for you." Miles said, a hint of fake sadness in his voice. Brooke looked up at him.

"I...I was going to vote for him. We had an argument before the immunity challenge and after it I was deadset on voting him out. But what he said during the bonfire actually made a lot of sense, and it wouldn't leave my mind." Brooke admitted. Miles was eyeing her, and she couldn't tell if he was annoyed, sad or bothered at all. "...Did you lie about not throwing the challenge? Tell the truth, I can always tell when somebody's lying."

"Like I said, Mike was completely delusional. He just didn't want anyone getting closer to you. I did not throw the challenge." Miles replied, completely seriously. Olivia and Rebekah looked at Brooke, who stared at Miles for a moment. She folded her arms and glared at him.

"I can't believe it. You really did throw the challenge. I eliminated Mike based on a lie...it should have been you!" Brooke snapped before turning around and stomping away into the woods. Miles watched her leave and sighed, then turned to Olivia and Rebekah.

"I was hoping Brooke would vote with us. If she did, it would all be easy. But she fell for Mike's paranoia and I feel like she's turning into him. If she keeps accusing me of these lies, she'll start to become too unsafe to keep around." Miles said despondently. "Thank you both for voting with me, and I trust that you'll see sense again. Brooke must go should we lose again."

Miles walked away from them, disappearing into the forest. Unsure what to do, Olivia and Rebekah glanced uncertainly at each other, wishing all this drama would just go away.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"I can't believe I ever trusted Miles, that snake! Now, because I believed him, I'm in trouble. Miles will no doubt be trying to get Olivia and Rebekah on his side. I'll have to get there first. It's like what Mike said; if the three of us don't work together, Miles will take us all down." Brooke said.**

 **...**

Brooke sat alone in the woods by a small pond, not feeling tired enough to go to sleep. She stared at the still water which was being reflected in the moonlight. She looked around, shuddering at the darkness. She had always been scared of it. She suddenly felt very unnerved and tensed up. Anything could be hiding in the dark staring at her, watching her, getting ready to leap at her. She started taking deep breaths to try and calm down. All of a sudden, she heard footsteps coming from behind her.

She leapt to her feet and screamed on instinct as she saw something emerging out of the trees into the clearing. Falling backwards, she waved her arms around to stop herself falling into the pond but it was no use and she started toppling into the water. However, just before she fell into the water somebody reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back up. She stumbled forwards and slammed into something. Looking up, she realised she was leaning against Miles' chest. She quickly backed off and awkwardly looked at the ground.

"T-thank you..." Brooke mumbled. However, almost immediately after memories of not that long ago flooded back to her and she looked up at Miles, glaring at him. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "I can't believe you eliminated Mike! What do you want, anyway? To rub it in?"

"You know I haven't come to do that. Besides, my reason for voting out Mike is fair. Like I said, if he apologised to me I would have cast my vote for either Olivia or Rebekah, not him. But he didn't. His elimination was his fault." Miles explained, even though he was always planning on voting for Mike even if he had apologised. Brooke realised that this made sense, but didn't want to let it go.

"What Mike said in the elimination made sense though. I can't just believe you when what he said seemed right." Brooke said. Miles softly grabbed Brooke's shoulders and the two looked each other in the eye.

"Brooke, I assure you that Mike was delusional. He was conflicted with his strange, twisted love at first sight for you. If he stayed in the game he only would've dragged you down by destroying any potential alliances. He wanted you and just you. He never could have won." Miles muttered, shaking his head as he thought about it. Broke stared at him.

"Okay. I believe you." Broke said tentatively. Miles smiled and let go of her shoulders, standing up to his full height.

"Now, I need to ask you. Is our alliance still on?" Miles asked.

"I'm not sure. I mean, Olivia and Rebekah just saw us arguing." Brooke pointed out. As soon as she brought that up, she noticed the corners of Miles' lips flicker in a smile.

"That's exactly why the alliance should continue." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"Because they saw us arguing, they would never expect us to secretly align. It could last us through the game." Miles explained. Brooke thought for a moment, the nodded. Miles smiled. "Perfect. I have a plan."

 **Day 3**

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby and Sasha)_**

As the tribe stirred one by one in their shelter, yawning and stretching, they suddenly smelled something brilliant. After exchanging glances of confusion, the four of them headed to their main camp to see Ingrid sitting by the fire, carefully cuttng something up into five portions. After a close look, they realised it was fish. Ingrid turned around, noticed them and smiled, waving them over. Surprised at this sudden mood change, Gabby, Zane and Kevin exchanged suspicious glances. Sasha, however, smiled brightly and ran over to join Ingrid.

Sasha sat down around the fire and gratefully took a plate of the fish. She nibbled at it and a satisfied smile rose to her face.

"This is delicious! You're a brilliant cook, Ingrid." Sasha complimented happily before continuing to eat the fish, savouring every bite. Ingrid watched her eat, smiling softly.

"I just wanted to make a little something...as an apology." Ingrid said, staring at Sasha but directing the message at the other three, specifically Gabby. Noticing that the three were staying where they were, she looked at them. "Come on, guys. The fish is getting cold and you need the energy if we're gonna win the challenge today."

The three looked at each other, shrugged, and joined them. The next ten minutes or so was the first time ever since they first met that there was no tension, and everyone was happy because of it. Everyone except Gabby. She watched in frustration as Ingrid talked to Zane and Kevin, making jokes with them, getting gradually closer and closer to them. She couldn't have that.

"I'm surprised I haven't dropped dead from poisoning yet." Gabby muttered bitterly as she stabbed at the fish. The conversation fell silent. Ingrid glared at her, knowing full well she was trying to provoke her. Sasha tentatively placed a hand on her leg and Ingrid looked at her and nodded, before smiling at Gabby.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Ingrid replied. Gabby looked at her in surprise. "Eat up!"

Gabby rolled her eyes and scoffed before standing up, leaving more than half of her food on her plate. Ingrid kept her eyes set on her as she moved.

"Thanks for the meal, Ingrid." Gabby said sarcastically. She turned around and started walking away. Zane watched her leave then shrugged, picking up her plate and putting her fish on his.

"I'll be happy to have seconds." He said with a grin. After having a forkful and swallowing it, he looked at Ingrid. "This is really good, Ingrid. If you want, I could share with you some of my cooking tips later."

"Thanks, that would be nice." Ingrid said with a smile. As Kevin and Zane continued to eat, Ingrid shared a grin with Sasha as she realised she was starting to win over the two.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"Where did all that anger go?! All my provoking gone in an instant! I have to do something, before Ingrid and her little pet Sasha intervene with Zane and Kevin and get them on their side. Wait...Sasha. Of course! If I eliminate Sasha, the only thing really keeping Ingrid in check, then she'll have to explode!" Gabby grinned, rubbing her hands together deviously.**

 **...**

Gabby furiously walked into the woods, trying to calm herself down. As she stared at a tree, thinking of ways of how to get rid of Sasha, she noticed something irregular about it. There was a hole in it, but instead of it being dark and empty there was something white and rectangular sticking out of it. She walked closer to it, possibilities swirling around her mind, and opened the envelope, reading the piece of paper inside. Her eyes excitedly scanned the words.

 _'As the flames of conflict arise,_

 _You must cut your opponents up to size._

 _Safety is key in this game, and an oportunity lies in wait,_

 _An immunity idol lies in your camp, and you mustn't be late.'_

 _(Play the idol, if it's found, before the votes during the bonfire are read to cancel out every vote with your name on it.)_

Gabby finished reading it and held it close to her chest, realising it was a clue to a hidden imunity idol. Thoughts ran through her mind. With this, if she used it correctly, she basically had a free bonfire pass! But she had to work out the clue. She stared at the paper, reading the words again and again until she was in her own world. She was finally broken out of it when she heard footsteps and leaves rustling. She hurriedly shoved it in her front pocket and turned around, surprised to see who came to visit her. Ingrid. She smiled at her but Gabby didn't smile back, folding her arms. Ingrid quickly lost her smile.

"Gabby, I'm sorry. I let my temper get the best of me and I overreacted. I know you didn't push me, it's just when things go wrong I think irrationally and I took it out on you." Ingrid admitted sheepishly. "I hope that we can make up and possibly become friends. To be a strong tribe we have to be united."

"...um...okay, sure. I forgive you." Gabby said. Ingrid smiled and held out her hand. Gabby grasped it and the two shook hands. However, as Gabby began to walk away, the clue slipped out of her pocket, unravelled and floated to the ground. Confused, Ingrid crouched down and picked it up.

"'As the flames of conflict arise'...hey, what's this?" Ingrid questioned outloud. Hearing her voice, Gabby spun around and fear invoked in her heart. Her clue! She leapt forward and snatched it back, almost tearing it in the process.

"That's mine! You have no right to read it!" Gaby snapped, shoving the clue back in her pocket, spinning on her heels and walking away. Completely shocked, Ingrid watched as she disappeared from her sight.

 **Confessional: Ingrid Sanders**

 **"I wonder what that thing was that Gabby had. She seemed really defensive over it...all I read was the first line. 'As the flames of conflict arise'. Maybe she likes writing poems? No, that can't be it." Ingrid said, thinking hard before she snapped her fingers in realisation. "Oh no...Gabby must have a clue to an immunity idol!"**

 **...**

Sasha shuffled around uncomfortably on her seat. Ingrid was nowhere to be seen, nor Gabby, and she had no idea how to make conversation with Zane and Kevin as she had rarely said a word to them before. Thus, she sat silently on her seat, eating her meal, until a thought came to her mind.

"Hey guys. Who are you...thinking of voting for if we lose?" Sasha asked nervously, terrified for the answer. The two stopped eating. Kevin looked unsure to reply.

"We've decided to vote for Ingrid. This meal was nice, but her temper is getting out of control and we have no idea when it'll strike next. We don't want her to hurt anyone." Zane explained honestly, deciding not to sugarcoat it. Sasha, surprised at the bluntness, had no idea how to answer for a few moments. Eventually, she swallowed her nerves and loked Zane in the eye.

"That...that's exactly what Gabby wants you to think!" Sasha exclaimed. Zane couldn't help rolling his eyes and sighing in dismay.

"Not you too..." He muttered under his breath. This made Sasha feel extremely small and upset, and tears rose to her eyes. She considered letting the subject go, but she noticed Kevin was staring intently at her.

"I really do believe that Gabby shoved Ingrid on purpose. Why? So she'd get angry! So dirt was put on her! Gabby's a manipulator, and a liar, and if she stays in this game too long she'll do it to everybody until she wins!" Sasha exclaimed, surprised at her sudden confidence. "Please, you two. Vote for Gabby instead."

Kevin and Zane looked at each other, not knowing how to respond. Just as Kevin was about to reply, Gabby emerged from the forest and sat back down. Kevin closed his mouth and continued eating, while Zane and Sasha showed no sign of conversation. Not long after, Ingrid also came back.

"Sasha, can I talk to you in private please?" She asked. Sasha timidly nodded and stood up, leaving the beach with Ingrid. Gabby watched them leave suspiciously while Kevin and Zane ate awkwardly, thinking about what Sasha told them. As the two left, Sasha glanced behind her and saw the two giving her a nod. She smiled.

"Did you persuade them?" Ingrid asked after she made sure they were alone. Sasha smiled and nodded happily. Ingrid smiled too, but after a moment it faded. "We have a problem."

"A-a problem? How? We just got Kevin and Zane on our side..." Sasha murmured.

"I think Gabby has a clue to a hidden immunity idol." Ingrid said. Sasha, completely gobsmacked, could simply open her mouth as empty words flowed through. "I don't want to worry you, but if she finds it our entire plan could fall to pieces."

"Oh no...oh no...Ingrid, I don't want you to be eliminated..." Sasha said, starting to freak out, her breathing increasing in speed. Knowing she had to be strong and strategic, she managed to calm herself down. "At least it's just a possibility, r-right...?"

"It is, but we shouldn't leave our place in the game up to luck. The only way to assure that Gabby doesn't get the idol...is to steal it before she can work out the clue." Ingrid said darkly. Sasha's eyes widened and she anxiously held her arm, looking at the floor.

"I...I don't know. It's not fair..." She said meekly.

"I know it's not, and I would never think of doing this otherwise. But Gabby is persistent on getting me voted out. We should eliminate her before she can regain any power." Ingrid said. Sasha stared at her, then slowly nodded. Ingrid hugged her then backed off and looked into her eyes. "Now here's the plan..."

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff and Adam)_**

The secret alliance of three, consisting of Arianna, Dale and the new member Adam were sitting in the woods together. They had chosen a small clearing far away from the main beach to have their alliance meetings in. Hudson and Griff, meanwhile, were sitting around the fire. Arianna eyed Adam with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity: he was an enigma of secrets, and she wasn't sure if she liked that or not.

"Adam, you've talked to the outcasts the most. Who do you think would be best to vote out if we lose?" She asked him. Adam thoughts about this for a moment. Hudson seemed to be cleverer and physically stronger, meaning he would do well in challenges, but Griff was good at talking. And talking meant alliances. And alliances meant safety.

"Griff is the bigger social threat. We should get rid of him before he can make it to the merge and guarantee his safety." Adam suggested firmly. Arianna nodded and so did Dale.

As the three continued to talk about other things, which mostly meant Dale talking about his interests while Arianna and Adam mumbled words in return, Hudson watched them from afar, on top of a branch of a high tree, his mouth gaped open in shock.

 **Confessional: Hudson Ewing**

 **"I mean, I know he didn't like us, but I didn't expect him to betray us...now Griff and I are in the minority. I need to get Adam back on our side, persuade one of the other two to vote for us, or receive a miracle!" Hudson groaned, putting his head in his hands.**

 **...**

Hudson arrived back at camp, glancing behind himself occasionally, looking worried. Griff, immediately realising something was wrong, stood up.

"Hudson? What happened?" Griff asked quickly, fearing the worst despite trying to be optimistic. Hudson looked at him in dread.

"It's what we thought. Adam betrayed us. He's secretly working with Arianna and Dale behind our backs! They're even talking about who they're going to vote out first!" Hudson explained everything. Suddenly feeling extremely isolated, Griff nervously looked at the woods.

"It's okay, we'll work out a plan. We just need to get one of them on our side. Dale seems the most-" As Griff tried to think of a way to stay in the game, he stood up, picked up a log and went to throw it in the fire. However, when he leaned forward he accidentally kicked a stone surrounding the firepit, revealing a folded up note underneath which interrupted his speech.

Curious, Griff stared at the mysterious parchment inquisitively for a moment then slowly crouched down and retrieved it from its sandy bed. Hudson watched him, feeling a spark of excitement as Griff slowly unfolded it and read outloud what was written in thick ink delicately on the surface.

 _'To find what your heart desires,_

 _Don't trust the truthful or the liars._

 _Like trees in the forest, there are many players,_

 _Who will not resist to be renamed slayers.'_

 _(Play the idol, if it's found, before the votes are read during the bonfire to cancel out every vote with your name on it.)_

 **Confessional: Hudson Ewing**

" **So, I can't believe it but Griff found a clue to the hidden immunity idol! You know what that means? I had a miracle!" Hudson cheered.**

 **...**

The two made the most of the time without Arianna, Dale and Adam being in the camp by reading the note over and over again, taking in the words and looking at the artistic drawings next to the poem, wondering if the pictures possibly held the answer. As they read it over and over again in their minds, an idea that could save their games sparked in Griff's mind.

"This clue might have just rescued us! Not because of the immunity idol, but because of the trust that could come from it!" Griff exclaimed excitedly. Hudson tilted his head in confusion, so Griff continued. "We could show this clue to Adam as a sign of trust, sort of like an alliance code. It may be able to sway him back onto our side!"

Hudson didn't share his ecstasy over the plan.

"That's way too risky! What if we show him and he turns around and goes straight to Arianna and Dale and tells them? Our secret would be busted." Hudson argued.

"Right now, Adam is basically the swing vote. If he teams up with Arianna and Dale, we're getting eliminated. If he aligns with us, Arianna and Dale get eliminated. Both of us would originally just be using words as persuasion, but with this we have an upper hand on the other alliance! We have paper proof of our loyalty, which the other two can never think of having!" said Griff. "Even if we do find the idol, it's only good for one of us. With their voting power, the other three can still get rid of the powerless person. Basically our only chance of persuading Adam is with this idol! I'm sure us finding it wasn't a coincidence."

"...Okay, that makes sense. Let's do it." Hudson nodded in agreement and Griff smiled in return. With the conversation over, the two went back to reading the clue held in Griff's hands. A few minutes later, Adam stepped out of the woods alone. Hudson and Griff knew he only did this to hide the fact he had betrayed them, but stayed silent, not wanting to ruin the chances of getting him back on their side.

"What's that?" He asked, sitting down next to them. Griff and Hudson shared one last glance of confirmation, then revealed it.

"It's a clue to a hidden immunity idol. We're trying to work it out but we just can't get our heads around it." Griff explained. Adam's eyes shone with greed and interest, but stayed relaxed.

"I could help you, if you want." He suggested coolly, even though he was thinking that if he found it he would keep it for himself. Griff and Hudson smiled, thanked him, then the three began working out the clue together while Arianna and Dale, still in the woods, had no idea of what was going on.

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Jayna)_**

Oswald groaned uncomfortably, shuffling his body around in the bed in an attempt to create some more space but it was absolutely impossible. After they had gone to bed, Connor had fallen asleep right away and had stretched his body across the entire bed, reducing Oswald to the side. As the night went on and on, seemingly never-ending, Oswald began contemplating his life choices that led him up to that point.

Thus, when blotches of light filtered into the dark sky, Oswald was relieved. He slowly slipped out of the bed so as to not wake Connor, for what reason he didn't know as he had at least had a good night's sleep. As he was starting to regret ever wanting the bed, he headed to the main camp and found that nobody else was there yet.

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"I have a feeling I'm on the outskirts with Connor on this tribe. Jayna and Scar are always together, and I haven't seen much of Jackie at all since we chose who would have the bed. If they're in an alliance, I'm going to break them up. I'm determined to win this game, and nobody will stand in my way." Oswald said menacingly.**

 **...**

Feeling bored out of his mind as he sat around the gradually growing fire waiting for the others, Oswald sighed and stood up, deciding to go fishing. He walked a little ways into the woods and crouched down by a bush, lifting it up to reveal their 'fishing pole' which was actually just a stick with one end sharpened like a spear. It was under the bush to protect it from the rain. As he held it in his closed fist and started walking back along the beach to the ocean, shivering at the thought of how cold it would be, Oswald noticed what looked to be a piece of paper wrapped around the shaft of their fishing pole.

Far too tired to get excited, Oswald unwrapped it with a mild feeling of curiosity, dropped the fishing pole and read the words quietly to himself.

 _'Allies are made, allies betray,_

 _I will vote with you is what they all say._

 _But who can you trust to keep you in?_

 _Don't sleep around, and don't treat allies like kin.'_

 _(Play the idol, if it's found, before the votes are read to cancel out every vote with your name on it.)_

Oswald finished reading the clue and grinned triumphantly. All the things he could do if he found the idol! He may even be able to bribe others to keep him in with it!

"What's that?"

Oswald almost choked on the amount of air he inhaled upon hearing that voice coming from behind him. On instinct he spun around and came eye to eye with Connor, who looked incredibly tired. His eyes were gazing at the note in his hand, and Oswald knew there was no point in lying. He sighed.

"It's a clue. To a hidden immunity idol." Oswald admitted uncomfortably, not enjoying having to admit him having the possibility of receiving one of the greatest powers in the game. Connor's eyes widened in utter shock. Oswald looked down at the note and smirked. "This'll give me a free elimination pass."

"You may not even be targeted, though. If you use it and nobody voted for you it'll be a waste." Connor pointed out, starting to feel nervous. If word got out about this then a larger target would be painted on his back.

"I will be a target. And if not me, then you." Oswald said. Connor looked at him strangely. "Can't you see? Scar and Jayna are probably in an alliance, and they might have recruited Jackie! We're on the outside."

"I did have my suspicions, but I just didn't want to admit it I suppose." Connor said with a nervous shrug. He looked at Oswald, worry in his eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

"Form an alliance. It'll make the two of us stronger and I don't want to go down without a fight." Oswald said, although he had no intention of being voted out first in the tribe anyway. After a moment's hesitation, Connor nodded in agreement, knowing that this was his best bet especially since Oswald had the immunity idol clue.

Oswald showed him the clue after checking that Scar, Jayna and Jackie were still nowhere to be seen and Connor read it, interested in the artistic poetry. The two spent the next twenty minutes thinking hard over every word, Oswald having completely forgotten about fishing, until an idea sparked in Connor's mind.

"Don't sleep around! Maybe it's hidden in the shelter, or under a hammock, or-" Connor began before Oswald interrupted, on the same track.

"In the bed!" Oswald finished off and Connor nodded, grinning victoriously. The two walked briskly back over to the bed, knowing it wouldn't be long before the others got up.

They checked under the pillows, inside the pillow cases, under the bed itself and inside the sheets. After finding no sign of an idol anywhere in it, they were starting to lose hope with only one place left to search; the mattress. Luckily, when they lifted it up, sitting in the middle of it was a small, wooden object; the idol. Oswald picked it up and grinned to Connor, who smiled back.

"How are we going to avoid elimination? This helps, but it's only really good for one of us." Connor pointed out. The two were sitting on the bed, waiting for the others to get up. The sun's rays were now shining brightly on the beach.

"We may be able to trick them by getting them to vote for the person who has the idol, but we should definitely focus on trying to break them up." Oswald said. Connor nodded.

"If you're right, then Jackie just joined the aliance. We could be able to bring her back to our side before she gets too far in with Scar and Jayna?" Connor offered.

"Yeah, that's good. You talk to Jackie, but don't make it obvious that we're trying to recruit her. Just make it seem like a casual conversation." Oswald instructed. While Connor nodded, a flicker of a smile rose to Oswald's lips. "While you do that, I'll try and cause tension between Jayna and Scar."

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"Well, looks like I'm in an alliance with Oswald and we're in trouble. We have the immunity idol, which is great, but we can't just think that'll solve all of our problems. We have to break up Jayna, Scar and Jackie." Connor remarked.**

 **...**

 **Sea Tribe _(Miles, Rebekah, Brooke and Olivia)_**

Olivia and Rebekah were sitting quietly around the fire, staring at a fish they had recently caught as it browned above the fire. They didn't have much to discuss with them being on a desert island, and so it was a little awkward. As far as they knew, Brooke and Miles were still asleep. Rebekah had been feeling doubt about the elimination, and decided to bring it up with her closest friend in the tribe.

"Do you think we made the right choice about eliminating Mike?" She asked. Olivia flipped the fish over then looked at her.

"Why?"

"Well...like Brooke said, what Mike said during the elimination actually made a lot of sense. Maybe Miles did throw the challenge, and maybe he isn't as good of a guy as we thought before." Rebekah said uncertainly. Olivia, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as bothered. She shrugged.

"Oh well. It's done now. You shouldn't dwell on the past because you can't change it. We made the decision to keep Miles and we have to live with it." Olivia said. "A lot more confusing things and hard choices are bound to happen yet. It's only gonna get harder from here."

"...I suppose you're right." Rebekah replied, not feeling reassured at all. She straightened up, starting to strategise in her head; one of her talents. "But either way we still have to decide who we want to eliminate next. With Mike gone and Brooke and Miles fighting, the two of us have the power in the tribe. Both of them will probably be coming up to us wanting our vote, and we have to choose who we think is better for us."

"Hmmm...when Mike left, he did suggest for us to team up with Brooke against Miles." Olivia suggested and Rebekah nodded frantically in agreement with a smile, happy she had brought that up.

"I agree. That, and I feel safer around Brooke. I feel like she would stick with us and be more loyal." Rebekah confessed.

"Even though I do think Mike was a bit paranoid, he definitely had a point. I think Miles is a great strategist and if he makes it too far he could be seriously dangerous. We should end it while we have the power." Olivia continued. She carefully lifted the fish out of their cooking pot and started cutting it into four portions, deciding that if she waited any longer for Miles and Brooke to wake up it would burn completely. "Brooke isn't nearly as worrying."

"So it's settled then?" Rebekah asked to make sure, not wanting to have any holes in their plan. Olivia nodded with a smile. "We vote with Brooke and for Miles."

The two fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the waves gently crashing against the shore and the faint crackling of the fire as they ate their fish, feeling hopeful that they could make it far in the game if they stuck together. When they were nearing the end of their meal and Rebekah was about to go wake up the other two, Brooke came out of the forest, her hair disheveled, yawning and stretching.

"Ugh...I don't think I'll ever get used to not having a comfy bed..." She groaned as she grudgingly fell onto the sand by the other two, crossing her legs and gratefully taking a plate of fish from Olivia. She smelled it and smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem! I'm not really sure how you like your fish, or if you like fish at all really, heh heh, but I hope you enjoy it." Olivia said with a kind smile. She and Rebekah waited for a moment, watching her eat. "We've decided to vote for Miles, Brooke. We'll help you."

"Really...?" Broke asked in astonishment. Dangerous thoughts immediately started running through her head; if they were helping her, she could easily betray Miles and get vengeance for Mike. No, no, he's probably already thought of that...she had to stick with the plan. She settled for a wide grin. "Thank you so much!"

The three fell into a casual chat, gigglng occasionally. Finishing with her meal, Rebekah put a portion for Miles on a plate then started walking down to the beach with the cooking pot to clean it in the water. However, when she crouched down to dunk it under, she noticed something she hadn't before; a peculiar note, wrapped arond the handle of the pot, waiting for her to grab it and read its contents.

 _'If you want to proceed in this game,  
_

 _Don't let everybody know your name._

 _Stay secretive and watch by,_

 _To stop others logging your actions low and high.'_

 _(Play the idol, if it's found, before the votes are read to cancel out every vote with your name on it.)_

After adjusting her glasses to read the note better, a wide grin spread across Rebekah's lips. She found a clue to a hidden mmunity idol! She was wondering when those would start showing up! She hastily scrubbed the cooking pot and stood up, about to run to Olivia and Brooke and tell them. But something stopped her in her tracks, and she found herself staring at the two as they chatted by the campfire. A selfish thought flashed across her mind. If she kept it to herself, she would be the only one looking for it and she wouldn't have to worry about anyone else receiving it. After thinking this over for a moment, she rid her head of the thoughts, deciding that in an alliance you had to be trustworthy and if Brooke or Olivia found it they would definitely show her.

"Guys, look at this!" Rebekah whispered, keeping her voice down so Miles wouldn't hear. She showed the two the immunity idol clue. Brooke and Olivia shared a glance of shocked joy, and the three read it together, thinking of how the clues could relate to anything in camp. Unfortunately, they didn't get long to think because Miles finally came out of the woods. So it wouldn't be obvious, Rebekah slowly moved backwards and shoved the clue in her back pocket, smiling at Miles. "Good morning! Olivia cooked us fish."

"...Thank you." Miles said respectfully and kindly, feling slightly suspicious. He slowly ate some of the fish. "This is delicious."

"Thanks!" Olivia said, trying to be cheerful when in reality all she wanted to do was get Miles away so they could keep working on the clue. The conversation ended there. All four simply exchanged awkward glances, trying to probe each other to speak. Eventually, Rebekah couldn't handle it any longer and she leapt to her feet, shocking Olivia who fell to the ground with a scream.

"You girls want a swim in the sea? It looks lovely today." Rebekah said. This wasn't a lie; the hot sun was shining down on the water, warming it up and making it shine a brilliant blue. Olivia nodded, dizzily getting to her feet, but Brooke shook her head politely. Olivia and Rebekah walked into the woods to change, the clue still hidden somewhere among Rebekah's clothing. Miles turned to Brooke, knowing immediately something was up.

"What's going on?" He asked. Brooke looked at him, her face betraying fear.

"It's Rebekah. She found a clue to a hidden immunity idol." Brooke said. Seeing Miles gasp in surprise, she hurriedly tried to calm his nerves. "She hasn't found it yet though, so we still have time."

"If they find it...it could cause problems. We might vote for the person who has the idol." Miles expressed, quickly trying to formulate a plan that would save them from such a risk. He hated doing things when he wasn't certain of the result.

"They might tell me who has it. They think I'm part of their alliance." Brooke suggested, secretly feeling happy that out of the four of them she was probably the safest, being in-between two alliances and having the choice to go either way.

"Well done on sneaking in, but we can't afford to take the risk. Olivia and Rebekah have an unspoken bond with each other, I can tell. They'd hold each other over anyone else, even you, and especially secrecy. We need to get the idol for ourselves." Miles said. Just as Brooke was about to reply, Rebekah and Olivia returned from the woods.

Olivia wore a two-piece white bikini, and Rebekah wore a purple bikini with white flowers on it. They walked down the beach hastily, not wanting to burn their feet on the hot sand, talking about general things with each other. When they passed Brooke and Mikes they smiled at the two, the smile aimed at Miles joined with a hint of suspicion, before leaping into the water and swimming happily.

Immediately knowing what the other was thinking, Miles and Brooke nodded at each other and stood up, walking into the forest, headed in the direction of the shelter with the plan of stealing Rebekah's clue. They made it to the shelter, noticing Olivia and Rebekah's everyday clothing lying neatly on top of the shelter. The two looked in every pocket, hole, inside and outside, but couldn't find a thing in either of the girls' clothing. After looking around the shelter for about ten minutes, Brooke and Miles grimly looked at each other.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"I'm a great strategist, so as if I'd just leave the immunity idol clue in my clothing for taking! As much as I love Olivia, I refuse to trust her with something like that and I won't trust Brooke either. Miles is dangerous, and I have a feeling he'll somehow work out I have it, so putting in my clothes or around the shelter wasn't an option. I put it somewhere nobody would guess. Where I found it!" Rebekah grinned cheesily.**

 **...**

Brooke, starting to get a bit worked up, fearing her chance at the grand prize was slowly slipping out of her grasp, stopped looking around and looked worriedly at Miles. She hoped he would be able to relax her in some way.

"What should we do now?" She asked.

"Rebekah's clever. Cleverer than I originally thought. She must have considered every possibility, taking in accont betrayals, and hidden the idol somewhere that would take too much time to find, or somewhere the two would easily see us searching. I didn't want it to come to this, but our only hope is you." Miles said with a small sight. Brooke cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Brooke, you have to remember the words. Rebekah showed you, right?"

"She did show me..." Brooke agreed, then the two fell into silence for a few minutes as she thought desperately. Something about...your name? Your identity? Not trusting people...they could keep it in a diary...log it! That was it, something about logging... "Okay...I remember two of the lines. I hope they're the ones that help us. Stay secretive and watch by, to stop others logging your actions low and high."

"Until we get our hands on the clue, it's the best we got. We have to work it out before Olivia and Rebekah do. Our fates in this game rely on it." Miles said darkly, unnerving Brooke even more.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"Actions low and high...maybe it's up in a tree? Or buried underground? No, that's way too hard to find...ugh! I can't work it out!" Brooke muttered in frustration, grabbing her hair.**

 **...**

 **Reward Challenge**

The Sky Tribe, Sea Tribe, Sand Tribe and Serenity Tribe all met at the beach and observed their next challenge, making guesses as to what they would have to do. At one end of the beach there were four elevated platforms; blue for Sky, red for Sea, yellow for Sand and green for Serenity. All four platforms had a staircase leading down to the beach. On top of these platforms were bundles of an object wrapped tight and secure in rope. Further along there was a huge pit of water with four ropes leading across with another rope hung above for support. Past this moat was a tall platform with holes that looked as if something could be put inside. On top of this was a bell. Chris was there to greet them.

"Welcome contestants! The game has only just begun, but the island has already become less populated. Mike Jones was voted off the Sea Tribe last night." Chris announced. Murmurs grew from the other tribes. "However, this challege will be a lot more laid-back. It is for reward!

"You may have noticed something inside the ropes on top of your respective tribe platforms. Inside are steps. You must move these steps acros the moat and put them in the holes of the other platform. Once all steps have been put in, every member of your tribe must climb to the top and somebody must ring the bell to win. If any member of your tribe touches the water, you must go back. Also, all of your legs will be tied together. Now, would you like to know what you're fighting for?" Chris asked with a grin, showing his sparkling teeth. He clapped and in came Chef, tears on his cheeks, sniffing as he walked in with a huge barrel. He dropped it and fell to the floor, weeping. "What are you doing? You're getting tears on MY sand! Get up and go!"

"I'll get you one day, Chris..." Chef mumbled, still sobbing, as he walked away.

"Ha! I'd like to see the day." Chris scoffed, before realising he once again got off track. The contestants all stared at him with wide eyes. Awkwardly, he coughed. "E-erm, anyway, the reward is a big barel of assorted fruit! That's right, no more fish over and over, you can spruce up your food! Now, the Sea Tribe are down by one, so somebody must sit out of the challenge from the Sky, Sand and Serenity Tribes."

The three tribes discussed for a moment and decided to sit out Arianna for the Sky Tribe, Ingrid for the Sand Tribe and Jayna for the Serenity Tribe. The sixteen contestants got ready, standing on top of their platforms, their legs tied together, waiting for Chris to start the challenge. Chris blew a whistle, and they were off.

Miles, being the strongest out of those in his tribe, leaned down to pick up the steps and the four slowly descended the steps. They were determined to win this challenge to show the other tribes that they weren't weak. The Serenity Tribe were hoping to win their second reward challenge, and the Sky and Sand tribes were desperate for the fruit.

All of the tribes worked well together and made it to the bottom of the steps without any injuries. They all reached the moat at the same time and started walking along the rope, knowing that if just one of them walked too fast or fell behind they would all be tumbling into the water. Unluckily for one tribe, that's exactly what one tribe did.

Gabby, starting to feel competitive, sped up and completely forgot she was tied to her teammates. As she walked ahead of her teammates, they started calling out for her to slow down but it was too late. The weight of her teammates caused Gabby to get tugged backwards and she lost her footing on the rope, stumbling before dropping the bundle of steps and falling into the water with a scream. The rest of her teammates fell like dominoes; Kevin, Zane then poor Sasha who had no chance of staying on the rope. She got yanked in like a ragdoll, and just like that the Sand Tribe were practically out of the challenge.

Scar carefully put one foot in front of the other, concentrating on his walking, leading his team along who slowly walked behind him. Oswald and Connor were in the middle, working together to hold the steps, with Jayna and Jackie at the back, only having to walk across the rope and look on helplessly in despair whenever another team took over them for a few seconds.

The Sky, Sea and Serenity Tribes made it to the end of the moat as the Sand Tribe finally started walking across the tightrope again. From there on it was a race to get to the tall platform. The Sea Tribe, having a sudden burst of energy and confidence, beat the other two tribes to the steps and started undoing the knots on their steps. With every tribe in desperate need of a food change, they all worked their absolute hardest.

The Serenity Tribe undid their rope first and started shoving in the steps one by one, followed quickly by the Sea Tribe. The Sky Tribe, unable to undo their knots, gave up and watched in despair as the two tribes fought to reach the top of the platform.

They finished putting in their steps at the same time and started climbing up, some slow and some quick. Brooke, being incredibly agile and nimble, made it to the top first and worked on helping her teammates. She reached down and grabbed Olivia's hands firmly, using all of her strength to pull her to the top. Rebekah, who was halfway up was starting to struggle because the steps got more narrow he higher up you went.

For the Serenity Tribe, Scar and Connor made it to the top first. While Scar pulled up Jackie, Connor attempted to pull up Oswald. However, because he was lacking the muscle strength he couldn't and he let go with a cry of pain. Oswald hit the ground with a shriek, rubbing his back. This gave the Sea Tribe the time they needed.

Brooke and Olivia worked together to pull Rebekah to the top and shortly after Miles climbed up the steps. Giving each other ecstatic glances, Miles rung the bell and the other tribes, the Serenity Tribe in particular, groaned in displeasure.

"Congratulations, Sea Tribe! This barrel of tasty fruit will be at your camp by the time you arrive!" Chris announed with a smile on his face. From atop the platform the Sea Tribe hugged each other joyfully, happy to have won a challenge. While the Sky, Sand and Serenity Tribes headed back to camp empty-handed, knowing they would be returning to miserable meals of salty fish, the Sea Tribe walked back with smiles on their faces and hope in their hearts.

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby and Sasha)_**

Demotivated by their loss and with the thought of them being one of two tribes yet to win a reward, the five members of the Sand Tribe dejectedly entered camp and sat around the fire, listening to it crackling, not in the mood to do chores or anything really. Zane, feeling awkward, tried to lighten the mood.

"Well, after this game is over it looks like I'll be releasing a cookbook for the many exciting ways you can cook fish." Zane announced, clasping his hands together, pretending he was excited. "Hmm, let's see, you can roast it. You can boil it, but it's not very nice. Oh, and you can eat it raw if you enjoy food poisoning! Isn't fish such a wonderful meal?"

"Shut up Zane." Gabby muttered. Zane shot a glare at her but didn't say anything back, deciding the tribe had already had enough drama. After a few more minutes of silence Gabby stood up and stretched. "I'm going for a swim."

As Gabby disappeared into the forest, Ingrid and Sasha looked at each other in despair. A few minutes later, they separated from Zane and Kevin, wanting to remain secret.

"Ingrid, this is awful! How is one of us supposed to distract Gabby when neither of us can swim?!" She moaned, putting her head in her hands. Ingrid felt the same, wishing it could just be easy, but tried to stay strong.

"We'll just have to go for it. This is the last chance we have to get the clue; after today, it's straight to the immunity challenge then the elimination. Let's just hope Gabby doesn't catch us in the act while she's swimming." Ingrid explained calmly. Sasha timidly nodded. The bushes rustled and they turned to see Gabby emerge from the forest, wearing a purple two-piece with a white trim. Nervously, Ingrid and Sasha gave a determined nod at each other and walked into the woods.

Meanwhile, Zane and Kevin were still sitting together by the campfire, quietly staring out at the sea.

"...Why does there have to be so much drama and so many arguments? Why can't everyone just be happy...?" Kevin mumbled. Zane glanced at him but saw that he was still looking at the sea, and wondered if he was talking to himself or to him. He decided to answer anyway.

"As much as I want that too, conflict on this island will never stop. It's just not possible. All these people, different personalities, coming from different backgrounds, there's bound to be disagreements. The producers know that." Zane explained. Kevin looked at him. "To survive in this game, we'll just have to avoid the conflict. Luckily, with Gabby being against Ingrid, if we ever lose we'll probably be safe for a while, but most likely a time will come when we'll be part of a fight. And we'll have to come up on top if we want to win. We just have to keep our heads low."

"Wow, no offence, but I've never realised how clever you are until just now." Kevin smiled. He thought for a moment. This was his chance. His chance to possibly get to the end. "Do you want to form an alliance with me? It can last throughout the game, and no matter what alliances we join or what we do, we always value each other over everyone else."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan. I'm in." Zane said with a nod, and the two shook hands. However, as much as he didn't want to, Zane thought that if he had to he would betray Kevin. He would do whatever he could to win this game.

Sasha and Ingrid entered the clearing where their shelter was and started searching for the clue. Unlike Rebekah, Gabby hadn't thought about anyone possibly knowing about her clue and hid it in a very obvious spot; the back pocket of her jeans. Thus, the two found it in seconds. Ingrid slowly unrolled it, read the verse and looked up at Sasha with a grin on her face. Sasha smiled back, trying to ignore the growing feeling of guilt she had. Ingrid held the clue tightly in her fist so nobody could see it and the two departed the woods, heading to the second part of their plan.

The two arrived back at the beach and noticed with a sigh of relief that Gabby was still swimming and Kevin and Zane were nowhere to be seen. It was the prime moment. The two walked over to the fire and stared at it, knowing that in a few seconds they would have made a game-changing decision. But was it worth it? Ingrid unrolled the clue and stared at it.

"Do we have to get rid of it? We could just keep it for ourselves, couldn't we?" Sasha asked hopefully, loving the idea of having protection; it dulled down her anxiety slightly. Ingrid didn't answer. Could they keep it for themselves? No, if Gabby found out her clue was missing she would accuse them straight away and possibly get her hands back on it. She shook her head and voiced her worries to Sasha before throwing the clue in before she could change her mind. The two watched the piece of paper dance in the fire, the edges quickly growing black before falling into the pit as ash. The two looked at each other then walked away, not realising that out at sea Gabby was watching them suspiciously.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I really hope this works out...I don't want to imagine what Gabby may do of she finds out what we did..." Sasha murmured nervously.**

 **...**

Gabby left the sea, water dripping off her body, and she stalked up the beach, curiosity of what Ingrid and Sasha were doing practically burning a hole through her brain. Not seeing them anywhere she decided to talk to Zane and Kevin about it. She approached them.

"Have you seen where Sasha and Ingrid went?" She asked.

"They said they were going in the woods to find firewood. They left about fifteen minutes ago." Kevin replied dismissively. Gabby thanked him, decided she would question them later, and started walking to the shelter to change. As she walked, nervous thoughts ran through her head. Could they have burned one of her possessions in some sort of revenge? No, that's far too petty...wait. Ingrid saw her immunity idol clue when she dropped it. Could they have found it? Feeling worried, Gabby picked up the pace gradually, eventually running as fast as she could to the shelter.

She hurriedly dressed into her normal clothes and felt her back pocket. Nothing. Trying to stay calm, she checked her side pocket. Nothing. Her front pocket. Nothing. Completely in despair, she realised her fears were true, and what she once thought was kindling they had thrown into the fire was in fact much worse. Needing closure, she ran back to the beach and to the fire, searching for some sort of salvation that it was her clue that was thrown into the flames.

Leaning close to the fire and ignoring the faint burning sensation on her face, she looked for paper but could only see ash. Just when she was about to give up, she backed off and noticed a small piece of paper wedged between two rocks surrounding the fire. She pulled it out and her eyes scanned the words nervously. _As the flames of conflict arise._ Shouting in anger, Gabby threw it on the sand. Ingrid and Sasha had burnt her clue! Feeling rage flowing through her, she sat down by the fire, determined to confront them when they returned.

While she waited, she found herself repeating the line over and over again in her head, and she realised with a start that it could be pointing towards the fire, and that the idol could be hidden around there. Not willing to shove her hand in the fire for a stupid idol, she instead started lifting up the stones. With a sudden change of fortune, Gabby lifted up the first stone and almost screamed to see a small wooden doll with a thread of silk wrapped around it. She picked it up and kissed it over and over again, absolutely ecstatic with her find.

Gabby grinned to herself and put the immunity idol around her neck, hiding it within her jersey. With this, she could take out Ingrid and Sasha.

They would regret ever crossing her.

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff and Adam)_**

It was very late at night. The sky was sprinkled with stars and the moon shone down, providing light for the animals who lurked in the dark. The beach was silent and empty, the fire dwindling down to just embers, and everyone in the Sky Tribe was fast asleep, getting rest for the inevitably tough immunity challenge the following day.

Everyone except one.

Adam had been awake the whole night. Halfway through their meal he had excuses himself, claiming he felt sick, and went to his hammock. But he didn't go to sleep. He had waited quietly all night until he was sure everyone was sleeping before he made his move, and it was time.

He slowly slipped out of his hammock, staying completely silent, and crept through the woods. Luckily the shelter was close because the forest was pitch black and he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face; he had to rely on just sounds to guide his way. Eventually arriving at the shelter, Adam pressed his body against a tree, breathing slowly, listening out for any signs of movement. Nothing.

He crept closer to the shelter and peered in, noticing Hudson and Griff sleeping at the entrance. He stared at them for a few seconds, a small pang of guilt hitting him. The two were so nice to him, inviting him in their alliance, being kind even through his anger outbursts, and now he was about to do something that could ruin their chances.

"I'm...sorry..." Adam whispered quietly in the dark. However, a few seconds later he shok it away and fixated a stern look at the two. "No, Adam, you know what would happen. They would use you and throw you away when they were done. They deserve this."

Pushing the feeling of guilt deep down inside him, he leaned forward and started searching in Hudson's pockets. After finding nothing inside, Adam whispered something in irritation and moved along to Griff. However, just as he was about to start searching, Hudson stirred. Fright washed over Adam and he quickly ran out of the shelter, almost tripping over, and dived behind a tree. He watched as Hudson sat up, looked around in disorientation, then fell back on his bed, falling asleep immediately.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Adam walked back over and briskly felt Griff's pockets. Feeling something, Adam slid his hand inside and grabbed it. He looked at it and grinned to himself. It was the immunity idol clue. He gave a last look at Hudson and Griff then turned around and walked away, his stealth plan succeeding flawlessly. Unable to see the words, Adam walked to the beach, hoping the moonlight would brighten up the paper. Luckily it did, and he read it, tingling with nerves.

His eye caught the line about trees right away, and he decided that the clue must be hidden near one. He turned around and sighed in dismay, knowing that there were hundreds of trees in the Sky Tribe's part of the island and it would take him ages, if he could even find it. He went back to the shelter, put the clue back in Griff's pocket, and begun his search.

A few hours passed and Adam was tired, angry and confused. His head hurt and he just wanted to go to sleep, but he was determined to find the clue before the sun rose and the others woke up. However, after searching through a final tree his hope diminished and he decided that he needed to try and get some sleep if he wanted to be any use in the immunity challenge the following day. Unmotivated, he walked back to his hammock and realised that he hadn't checked the trees holding up his makeshift bed.

He checked the first one. No holes, nothing crammed in the low-hanging branches, and nothing buried around the trunk. However, he immediately noticed a hole in the second one. A final spurt of hope in his mind, he shoved his hand in and felt around. His fingers brushed past something wooden and small and he gasped, grabbing it and pulling it out. His eyes glowed with joy as he realised he found it. He quickly stashed it in his pocket and hopped into his hamock, falling asleep in seconds.

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"I know what all of you out there are thinking. That I'm emotionless and I don't care about anyone else. Well...that's not true. It's just that I hide it because whenever I show my true feelings I always get shut down! I've realised that being like I am now; cold, rude, argumentative, has caused people to keep their distance from me. And that's...that's how it should be." Adam said, reducing his voice to a whisper, tears in his eyes.**

 **...**

As the day went on and the immunity challenge grew closer, the tribe ate breakfast peacefully and separated soon afterwards. Arianna, unable to find Dale or Adam, noticed Hudson and Griff sitting around the fire and decided to assure her safety for at least one elimination just in case Adam backstabbed her; to tell the truth, she didn't trust him in the slightest, finding him as a male version of her. She walked up to Hudson and Griff, a wide, friendly smile on her face. When she was a few metres away, she noticed them staring at something, a look of concentration etched on their faces.

"Hey guys!" She greeted happily. It still paimed her to have to act so kind and loving. She couldn't wait until the day when she could express her true feelings. Griff immediately hid the thing they were holding, and Arianna stared at him, slightly suspicious, her curiosity flaring. "What are you looking at?"

"Just one of my drawings. I'm making one based on our experience on this island." Hudson lied. Griff, not fond of lying, just kept his eyes on the fire and stayed quiet. Arianna noddd slowly, then smiled again.

"That sounds cool! Can I see it? I've heard you're a great artist." She asked with a smile.

"N-no!" Hudson stammered, too loudly and defensively for his liking. Arianna looked at him in shock. Hudson backpedalled, nervously thinking of a way to justify himself. "S-sorry, it's a work in progress. I don't like showing people my drawings before they're finished and I've had time to make final adjustments. I'll show you once I've finished, but that'll probably be a few weeks."

"No problem, that makes sense. I'm looking forward to it." Arianna bluffed. In reality, she didn't particularly care for his stupid drawings, but she needed to get on their good side. She decided to get on with her plan, and eyed them. "Who are you two thinking of voting for if we lose?"

Hudson and Griff didn't answer. They kept their gaze far away from her eyes, and appeared to be nervous. This answered her question for her. She needed to act fast, or she would be leaving as soon as they lost a challenge.

"Well, if it helps, I was thinking of voting for Dale." Arianna said. Hudson and Griff looked at her in shock; they thought she was in an alliance with him! "Oh, you haven't heard? Because of all his disorders, the island and the challenges may be too unsafe for him!"

"Disorders? What disorders?" Griff asked in confusion. Arianna had to try her hardest not to smirk. She had them wrapped around her finger now.

"You haven't heard?" She asked, feigning shock. Griff and Hudson shook their heads. She held out her hands, and started counting them off one by one using her fingers. "He has asperger's syndrome, epilepsy, anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD and asthma! Can you believe that? He could be seriously hurt. I don't want to imagine that happening to such a nice guy..."

This was a revelation for Hudson and Griff, and gave them a dilemma. Maybe it was for the best to get rid of Dale first. If he stayed too long something bad could possibly happen to him...Arianna, on the other hand, was perfectly healthy as far as they knew. As the two sat, mulling this over, Arianna wore a fak smile.

"I'll leave you to think about it." She said sweetly then stood up and walked away, grinnng deviously, not caring in the slightest that she had just thrown her only loyal alliance member under the bus.

 **Sea Tribe _(Miles, Rebekah, Brooke and Olivia)_**

The freshly motivated tribe arrived back at camp, happily noticing a barrel just sitting innocently on the sand. Olivia and Rebekah ran over to it, lifting off the lid and peering inside, screaming in joy. Inside the wooden barrel were many colourful fruits, such as red and green apples, oranges, pears, strawberries, different types of melon, kiwi and grapefruit, pomegranates, bananas and even some exotic fruits they had never heard of in their entire life!

"Rebekah and I will cook the meal tonight. I can't wait to try out all these new things!" Olivia offered with a grin as Rebekah lifted out some of the fruit, gazing longingly at it. It was strange how much you mised the little things when you were isolated from them.

"I'll help, if you'd like." Brooke said kindly. Olivia and Rebekah happily accepted and the three wheeled the huge barrel over to the fire. This wasn't an act of kindness, however. Beforehand, Miles had told Broke to go help them with things because if she stayed with Miles it would be too suspicious. Miles, while he would usually offer to help, decided not to this time so he could have time to examine the clue before the immunity challenge.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"It's on the tip of my tongue, I can feel it. 'To stop others logging your actions low and high'. Wait...logging! It may be stashed near our pile of firewood!" Miles theorised, snapping his fingers.**

 **...**

While the three girls cooked together, Miles walked to the far end of their beach where they stashed their firewood. Throughout the first few days of their life on the island they had collected lots of firewood, enough for the first few weeks, so Miles had a lot of wood to go through. He started searching, lifting it up and putting it down, examining every log, keping a close eye on everything. After what seemed like hours when it had actually been just a few minutes, Miles found the idol stuck to the underside of a piece of wood and he tore it off, relieved that he had found it before Rebekah or Olivia did. He hid it among his clothing and greeted the others, proceeding to help them cook.

Later on, after a delicious meal that the four had savoured and enjoyed, Olivia and Rebekah separated from the other two to clean their cooking pot and put leftover fruit back in the barrel for the next day. Brooke watched them for a while then hopefully turned to Miles.

"Did you find the idol?" She whispered. Miles sighed, staring at the fire. He slowly shook his head, and Brooke felt crushed.

"No. I'm sorry. I just can't get my head around this clue." Miles muttered in annoyance, lying blatantly to Brooke's face. Brooke, being good at seeing through lies, looked suspiciously at Miles but decided to believe him, thinking that there was no reason for him to pretend he didn't the idol. She stole a glance at Olivia and Rebekah, feeling worried.

"What if they found it and haven't told us?" She asked.

"All we can do now is hope that it's still hidden somewhere, and nobody's found it yet. We have to go along with the plan." Miles told her and Brooke reluctantly nodded, wishing they had some sort of guaranteed safety. Knowing what she had to do, she stood up and walked over to where the other two girls were.

"Hey, Olivia?" She called. The two girls stopped cleaning and looked at her. "Sorry to be a nuisance, but our fire's running low. Could you maybe help me carry some firewood over?"

"Of course!" Olivia replied happily, hopping to her feet and walking to the other end of the beach with Brooke. Miles, watching this happen, smiled and hurrie over to Rebekah while her friend wasn't there.

"Are you set for the plan?" whispered Miles quietly. Rebekah, her nerves growing, looked at Miles, having absolutely no clue what he was talking about.

"What plan?" She asked back in a whisper even though she had no idea why. All she was doing was making herself look more suspicious! If Brooke and Olivia saw her... Miles' face twisted into a look of confusion, but then his face relaxed.

"Olivia mustn't have told you." Miles said back, rolling his eyes. "Earlier, when the two of you agreed to be in an alliance with Brooke, that was just fake so she wouldn't be suspicious. What you're actually doing, if we lose, is voting for Brooke herself. Sorry for leaving it so late, Olivia was meant to inform you."

"..." Rebekah stared at Miles suspiciously. He seemed genuine, but that could just be a ploy to gain her trust. But how would he know about her agreeing to be in an alliance with Brooke unless it was set up? He had to be telling the truth...he had to be. "Okay. Thanks for telling me."

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Jayna)_**

The tribe walked back to camp. Connor was currently walking next to Jackie, remembering Oswald saying that they had to appeal to her if they wanted her on their side.

"How did you sleep last night?" He asked politely. He still felt guilty about having the bed. He felt like he was forcing her to sleep in a hammock, and he hoped she didn't hold it against him.

"I slept okay. It'll take a bit of getting used to before I'm completely comfortably with the hammock, but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be." Jackie answered honestly with a glowering smile. "How did you sleep in the bed? It bet it was lovely."

"I slept great!" Connor answered happily, reminiscing about the previous night. Suddenly feeling like he was bragging, he turned to her. "Hey, I was wondering. Would you like to swap sleeping arrangements with me? I don't mind sleeping in a hammock."

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked, surprised. "I don't want to be any trouble..."

"No, it's perfectly fine! You'll love it. The pillows are so soft, and it's so warm. I fell asleep right away." Connor assured her. Jackie smiled, but when he looked away it faded and she stared at the ground, wondering if she had truly made the right decision to be in an alliance with Jayna and Scar.

"Hey Jayna." Oswald said, catching up with her.

"Oh! Hi Oswald!" Jayna said, surprised because up until now she had barely said anything to him. The two walked next to each other in silence for a while.

"How safe do you feel in your alliance?" Oswald asked, taking a risk. He still wasn't completely sure if she was even in an alliance, and if she wasn't then she may perceive him as nosy and reading too much into things, and thus think of him as a threat. Luckily, the shocked expression on her face confirmed his suspicions.

"I-how...how do you know I'm in an alliance?" Jayna asked, utterly bewildered. She thought she had been secret enough... Oswald smiled.

"I'm just going to warn you; if you think you can put your trust into a mysterious person who never talks, in a game like this with the prize so huge, you're making a mistake." Oswald answered ominously, completely evading her question. Jayna fell silent. He was talking about Scar. How did he know she was with Scar?! However, Oswald son answered the question for her as if he were reading her mind. "You can't trust Scar, Jayna. He told me absolutely everything about your alliance. He's working on getting rid of you."

"Why are you telling me this...?"

"Because I think, overall, you're a better competitor than he is. Also, he gives me the creeps. I don't know how you can stay around him." Oswald shuddered. Jayna stared at him for a moment then, in a monotone voice with an empty expression, said:

"Scar wouldn't do that. He wouldn't...go against me like that."

"You don't even believe yourself." Oswald said with a shake of his head. He started walking away. "You're doomng yourself by staying with him, Jayna. And when you finally realise that, come to me before you're sent out of the competition."

 **Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"Scar's trustworthy, I'm sure of it! Although, I suppose it's not over until the fat lady says three's a crowd..." Jayna muttered suspiciously, unsure what to think. "I know. I'll talk to him!"**

 **...**

"Hey Scar!" Jayna greeted, trying to act as happy as possible. Scar simply nodded. "That challenge looked tough! We were so close, aha. I'm glad I didn't have to compete!"

"What's wrong, Jayna?" Scar asked simply, immediately sensing that something was up with the girl. Jayna was about to,persist and claim there was nothing going on, but she knew it would be useless. She sighed.

"Have you been talking to Oswald?" She asked. Scar looked at her, expecting more. "...Oswald told me that you've bee talking to him about being in a secret alliance, and that you've been telling him all about ours. Is it true?"

"...Oswald's a liar. I have not said a word to him. I would never betray an ally." Scar replied, the last sentence betraying irritation. Jayna looked at him, and he noticed there was suspicion in her eyes. "Do you believe him? Someome who's spouting nonsense over someone you've known for three days now?"

"No, no, of course I believe you." Jayna replied, although she wasn't sure.

 **Day 4**

 **Immunity Challenge**

About halfway through the day, the four tribes arrived at the challenge area, all of them determined to win the challenge. The beach they were on was largely empty apart from a long white line drawn across the surface near the ocean and a pole by the woods. As the contestants stood, waiting, a helicopter whirled overhead and everyone struggled to stay on their feet.

"He's in the woods! The woods!" Chris screamed, running out of the forest with a megaphone, screaming up at the helicopter which flew away. "All I've done for him and he decides to run away! Well, I wonder who's bank account HIS paycheck is going in this week!"

The contestants, sick of these constant happenings and eager to get to the challenge, simply rolled their eyes, not interested. Chris stared at them, expecting someone to question what happened, but nobody did so he cleared his throat.

"Let's get to the challenge! First of all, somebody from the Sky, Sand and Serenity Tribes has to sit out. It can't be the same person who sat out in the reward challenge." Chris said. After short discussion, Sasha, Jackie and Dale sat on a bench positioned out of the way. "Now I'll explain. One member from every tribe will have to hold onto the pole in some way while the other three will have to protect them from another tribe. The other tribe will have to get the pole hugger past the white line as fast as possible and when they do the time will stop. The fastest tribe to go past the white line will go to the bonfire tonight."

After deciding who would be the pole hugger and who would protect them, the Sky Tribe was randomly chosen to go first. Arianna, being the most agile of the members in her tribe, got in position by the pole, wrapping her arms and legs around it. Hudson, Griff and Adam stood in front of her, nervously staring at Miles, Olivia, Rebekah and Brooke who's job was to get Arianna past the white line. It was silent for a while, every person staring at another. All of a sudden, a claxon sound went off and they dived at each other.

Finding him the biggest threat, Hudson and Griff immediately ran for Miles. Having no time to get out of the way, Miles could only cry out as Hudson and Griff pulled him to the ground. However, this left Adam alone to deal with the three girls. All three ran forward at once and Adam, knowing he could only go for one, leapt at Olivia, knocking her to the ground. She screamed, her head slamming into the sand.

With all of the defenders occupied, this left Arianna alone to protect herself. Brooke and Rebekah started attempting to get her off the pole, tugging at her arms. Arianna wasn't strong enough to resist and she immediately let go. However, thanks to her legs being wrapped around the pole so well, Brooke and Rebekah couldn't drag her. Arianna gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the burning pain in her legs as they rubbed against the wooden pole. She fought against Brooke and Rebekah, wriggling madly and accidentally headbutting Brooke in the face. She backed off, groaning, which gave Arianna the time she needed to get her arms back around the pole.

Realising she needed help, Griff asked Hudson if he was fine against Miles on his own. When Hudson said yes Griff got up to aid Arianna. However, as soon as he left Miles managed to throw Hudson off him and get to his feet. Olivia, meanwhile, had no chance of getting past Adam as he had her firmly held on the ground.

Griff ran over to the pole, tearing Rebekah's arms off Arianna and rolling her away. However, just as he was about to go to Brooke, Miles arrived to help his teammates. Before Hudson or Griff could stop him he easily managed to get Arianna away from the pole and started dragging her to the line, kicking and screaming. Luckily, Hudson rammed into Miles, winding him and causing him to let go of Arianna. She stumbled to her feet and ran clumsily back to the pole but before she could make it there Olivia, still under Adam, grabbed her feet and yanked her to the ground.

Brooke and Rebekah grabbed an arm each and, as much as she tried, Arianna couldn't get away and she was dragged over the line.

"Next up is the Sea Tribe! I'll give you all a few minutes to relax and get your strength back." Chris said, noticing everyone who just competed was lying on the ground, sweating and groaning, absolutely exhausted.

After a few minutes passed, everyone got imto position. Olivia was chosen to be the pole hugger and she nervously awaited the battle ahead. Miles, Brooke and Rebekah stood a few metres ahead of her and were being faced by the Sand Tribe, consisting of Ingrid, Gabby, Zane and Kevin.

The claxon went off. Miles and Zane went against each other, both shoving, trying to get the other to fall. Brooke and Ingrid fought each other, both screaming, tugging each other's hair and kicking. It wasn't long before they both tumbled into the sand, the grains falling around them, but neither girl gave up and they both rolled over and over on the ground. Rebekah attempted to stop Gabby in her tracks but with a quick shove she had sprawled on the ground, groaning. As Gabby quickly ran to the pole, Kevin followed her.

Olivia held her body close to the pole, determined to prove to her tribe that she was strong, but the other two pulled her off as soon as they tried. Olivia's cheeks flushed red in embarrassment but she still tried to fight them off. Gabby and Kevin, ignoring the punches, dragged her quickly across the sand. Realising she was getting close to the line, Olivia screamed out wildly for help. Miles managed to throw Zane to the ground and ran to help her. He grabbed Kevin by the waist and slung him to the side but Kevin was prepared and pulled at Miles' legs, sending him to the ground just as he was about to grab Gabby. Thus, Miles could only watch from the sandy floor as Olivia was dragged past the line.

"Next is the Sand Tribe!" Chris announced.

Ingrid held onto the pole tightly, being protected by Kevin, Zane and Gabby who stared fiercely at the members of the Serenity Tribe; Jayna, Scar, Oswald and Connor. Once again, the claxon went off. The Serenity Tribe had secretly decided to run straight for the pole and get Ingrid past the line as soon as possible. They all ran forward, Scar at the head. Kevin reached out to grab him but Scar easily dodged to the side. Ingrid screamed in horror upon seeing him running towards her but luckily Gabby was there. She wrapped her arms around his waist, throwing him to the ground and keeping an eye on him.

Jayna tried to run past Kevin and Zane but the latter noticed her and stopped her in her tracks. However, he didn't notice Oswald sneaking up behind him. He pushed him onto the ground and Jayna silently thanked him then continued running to the pole. Connor, having plenty of stamina, ran quickly across the beach and attempted to sidestep past Kevin but he easily threw him to the ground. Connor struggled to get to his feet and before he could Kevin threw him back down. Deciding Connor would be down for a while, Kevin ran to the pole to help Gabby, who was currently stopping both Scar and Jayna from reaching Ingrid.

Scar violently grabbed Gabby's hand, pulling her quickly. She lost her footing and stumbled, knocking Scar and sending them both to the ground. Jayna ran towards Ingrid and pulled at her arms but, with them both being around the same strength, not much damage was done. However, Oswald soon appeared and, together, the two yanked Ingrid off the pole who hissed in pain, having scratched her leg when she was pulled off. Kevin attempted to stop them so Oswald jumped on top of him, holding him down as Jayna continued to slowly drag Ingrid as she protested angrily. It was to no avail, however, and she was pulled over the line.

"Last to fight for invincibility is the Serenity Tribe!" Chris said, feeling excited for what was to come next.

Jayna held onto the pole while Oswald, Connor and Scar protected her. The Sky Tribe; Arianna, Griff, Hudson and Adam didn't, under any circumstances, want to go to the bonfire and were willing to do whatever it took to get Jayna past the line.

The challenge begun and the Sky Tribe ran across the beach. Oswald kicked Hudson's leg out from underneath him and he sprawled to the ground. Noticing Adam out of the corner of his eye, Oswald quickly gave him a shove. It didn't send him to the ground but he did wobble. Oswald advanced on him and went to push him again but Adam ducked then grabbed Oswald's arm and threw his body over his. Oswald, completely shocked, couldn't react and felt himself being flipped in the air before hitting the ground, winding him severely. Adam moved on.

Connor tried his hardest to defend Jayna but, when Griff pushed him he had no hope of staying on his feet and he fell over. From the bench, Jackie worriedly watched this, hoping they wouldn't go to the bonfire. She didn't want to see anyone from her tribe be eliminated. Jayna held on tightly as Griff and Arianna tried to pull her off the pole. After trying for a while, they glanced at each other, surprised at her strength. All of a sudden, Scar appeared, grabbing Arianna and throwing her to the floor. Arianna shouted out, attempting to kick Scar, but he easily dodged and held her down.

Jayna lost her arm strength and slacked for just a moment, but this was all Griff needed. He pulled her by her legs and she shook about, managing to get away for a moment. However, Hudson was there and quickly started dragging him herself. With both guys dragging her, Jayna gave up and lay in the sand until she was dragged past the line.

"And that's it! The challenge is over!" Chris announced. The tribes congratulated each other, all of them exhausted, knowing they did their best and all of them hoping they weren't the tribe who lost. They all sat on the bench with the four people who sat out, awaiting the results. "The winning tribe, with a time of 5 minutes and 47 seconds before the pole hugger was dragged past the line was...

"The Sky Tribe! Congratulations Arianna, Hudson, Griff, Adam and Dale, you've won immunity for a second time!" Chris announced and the tribe erupted into cheers, their fears quenched. All five were safe for another two days. He turned to look at the other three tribes, who were getting increasingly more worried. "In second place, with a very good time of 4 minutes and 12 seconds is...

"The Sand Tribe! Well done Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha, Kevin and Zane, you're all safe once again!" Chris revealed. All five members ecstatically hugged. The final two tribes; the Sea Tribe and the Serenity Tribe glanced at each other, wishing the other would lose desperately. "In third place, barely avoiding elimination with a time of 2 minutes and 34 seconds..."

"Is the Serenity Tribe! Oswald, Connor, Jayna, Jackie and Scar, you can all relax. The five of you are avoiding elimination again." Chris said after a short break to create suspense. The five sighed in relief. The four members of the Sea Tribe exchanged shocked, horrified glances. They had lost again?! Twice in a row?! They tried to ignore the looks of pity and sympathy they were currently receiving from the other tribes. "Sea Tribe, with a time of just 52 seconds, you must head to the bonfire immediately. One of you will be eliminated tonight."

Miles, Brooke, Olivia and Rebekah departed miserably for the bonfire, knowing one of them would never see the challenge area again while the other three tribes went back to their camps, happy and proud of themselves and each other.

 **The Bonfire**

The four members, soon to be just three, of the Sea Tribe dejectedly entered the bonfire area and sat down, staring silently and sadly into the crackling, dancing flames, dreading when Chris would inevitably begin. The host stared at them for a moment from the other end of the fire.

"Welcome, Sea Tribe. I'm sure you were all hoping you wouldn't be back here, at the very least for a long time. However, you lost the immunity challenge and you must pay the price. I hope this will be your last loss for a while." Chris said. He then turned to Olivia. "Olivia, how has Mike's recent elimination changed the camp, if at all?"

"Chris, I hoped voting out Mike would get rid of the tension in the camp. However, it only seemed to grow after he was gone. Not long after he left and we arrived back at camp, Miles and Brooke had a huge argument about it." Olivia explained, refusing to look at them just in case she was being glared at. She sighed. "Because of that, I think one of them will be leaving tonight."

"Do you believe you're safe?" Chris asked. Olivia thought for a moment. Brooke, Miles and Rebekah all stared at her, awaiting her response.

"Right now, at this current moment, I am not the one causing the drama in this tribe. If I was eliminated, it would not stop. So, getting rid of me now would be pointless and would make no sense. Rebekah and I are the swing votes." Olivia said hesitantly. She looked up at Chris. "I'm not going home tonight."

At this last statement, Miles and Brooke glanced at each other but their faces read nothing. Olivia saying that was a very bold statement, as nobody knew what was going to happen until it did. Chris nodded, then announced that it was time to vote. Olivia stood up to go first, and she walked down the pathway.

Olivia went up to vote.

"I'm sorry about this, and I think you're a good person, but we'll only keep losing if you stay and fight more people."

Brooke went up to vote.

"I really hope this works...so many things could go wrong. I don't want to go home tonight!"

Rebekah went up to vote.

"You're a good friend, but we have to eliminate someone and my alliance chose you."

Miles went up to vote.

"This plan will certainly work. I am not going home tonight."

Miles returned and sat down and the four exchanged nervous glances. They waited while Chris left to go collect the votes. Nobody spoke, and tension was high in the air. Eventually, just when they felt they were about to burst, Chris came back with the voting urn. Miles held his immunity idol which was in his pocket. If he used it now, he would be safe no matter what. But it would be a waste, he was sure of it...he had to believe that his teammates would do what he expected them to do. Chris opened the lid, slowly took out the first vote and opened it.

"One vote for Brooke." Chris read. Miles, Olivia and Rebekah glanced at her. Her face showed nothing, but inside she was terrified. She hoped that would be her only vote; if there were any more, something was wrong. Chris opened the next one.

"One vote for Miles." Olivia and Rebekah were unfazed. These first two votes were most likely Brooke and Miles' for each other. The next two would reveal their target.

"One vote for Olivia. Currently, there's one vote for Brooke, one vote for Miles and one vote for Olivia, one vote left. If this vote is for Rebekah, there will be a tiebreaker. If it's for one of the three already voted for, they must leave immediately." Chris said. As soon as her name was read, Olivia suddenly felt confused and terrified. Her brain tried desperately to think of a solution but she was so scared she was unable to come up with anything. She shared a glance with Rebekah, and the two held hands. "The second contestant voted out of Total Drama: Eracy Island is..."

The four all waited. In a moment, somebody's hoped would be crushed. Chris took out the last vote, opened it, read the name in his head, then turned it around to face the contestants. Somebody went pale with horror.

"Olivia. I'm sorry, but with two votes against Miles and Brooke's one, you must leave immediately." Chris announced. Olivia, completely and utterly shocked, looked at Rebekah who was just as perplexed and saddened. The two realised they had been completely played by the same person who eliminated Mike and somebody they thought they could trust. Miles and Brooke smiled in relief as they realised their plan had worked out.

Olivia stood up. Deciding not to be petty, she hugged everyone one by one, starting with Miles, then Brooke and finally Rebekah, who had tears in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around her, whispered a "Good luck..." in her ear before walking out, not looking back. Rebekah slowly sat down, glancing worriedly at Brooke and Miles, realising she was now alone in a tribe full of people who were in a league above her own with their social game. Brooke and Miles, meanwhile, didn't even look at her. Rebekah realised that they couldn't lose another challenge now until the merge, because if they did she would certainly be leaving, following in her friend's footsteps.

However, Chris completely quenched her fears immediately after they were thought.

"Now, I have a surprise for the three of you." Chris said. The three looked at him, wondering what it was. "Because your tribe is getting too small, I'll be splitting the three of you up. Miles, you will go to the Serenity Tribe. Rebekah, you will go to the Sand Tribe. Brooke, you will go to the Sky Tribe. You will not be returning to your camp; instead, you must say your goodbyes now and head straight to your new tribes."

Completely shocked, but one of them completely relieved, the three stood up and hugged each other, wishing each other luck. When Rebekah headed off, glad to be away from them and happily welcoming a new tribe, Brooke and Miles stared at each other for a moment before nodding at each other and walking in separate directions, hoping deep down that the other person would survive their tribe and make it to the merge.

As the Sea Tribe split apart for good, heading into new camps and fresh change, they all realised just how important winning challenges was. After losing just two, an entire tribe had been demolished. However, this also gave them determination and none of the three, or the other fifteen contestants, would go down without a fight.

 **Final Confessional: Olivia Haas**

 **"My elimination is my own fault. I wasn't that strong in challenges, and didn't try hard to form alliances or plan. I just went with the flow, and that was my downfall. I didn't even think of the possibility of Brooke and Miles forming a secret alliance. Well, I hope Rebekah wins, although she'll definitely need to step up her game if she wants to compete against Miles and whoever's on the other tribes."**

 **...**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 ** _Pre-Merge_**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones**

 **19th Place: Olivia Haas**

 **...**

 **Thanks you so much for reading, and please tell me what you thought with a review! So sorry to _That British Guy_ for eliminating Olivia, but someone had to go and it was just her time. **

**The next chapter will be coming out soon! Bye for now!**


	7. Chapter Four: Circle of Trust

**Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, and I'm ecstatic that last chapter was a lot more liked than the one before it. I hope to make every chapter better and better for you all and, like always, good luck to your character! ^^**

 **Also, I know the chapters are being updated quite slowly and I'm sorry about that but this year is the most important year of my education and I need to focus on that more than this. I hope you can understand, and I'll still try to update as frequently as possible. ^^**

 **...**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Brooke walked along the dirt pathway, her arms folded to preserve some sort of heat in the cold night. An icy breath escaped her mouth as she glanced around nervously at the darkness, fearing that all the trees would start looking the samNo, e and she would begin walking in circles and get lost forever. She angrily shook her head to clear the thoughts and continued walking, slightly faster than a few moments before.

However, her phobia of the dark soon dissipated into thoughts about not that long ago in the night; the bonfire that resulted in Olivia's elimination, and thus she was soon thinking about Miles. She thought about when she asked him about the immunity idol and wondered if he was lying; if he did find the immunity idol, but didn't tell her. Frustration filled her as she thought about it and found herself believing that to be the truth. However, she soon decided to brush it off and decided that she needed to focus on her new tribe rather than spend her time thinking about her old one. She would deal with Miles when the merge came around, if they both made it.

It became eerily quiet as Brooke focused on the path ahead, when suddenly it clouded with black and Brooke realised there was a shadow standing motionlessly at the end of the pathway. It was staring directly at her. Her absolute nightmare coming true, Brooke's nerves froze up in terror and she realised that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge. All of a sudden, the shadow took a step, then another, then another, until it was walking towards her, getting closer every second. Her breathing feeling tight, Brooke let out a scream of horror that erupted all over the island.

"No, no! Don't worry! It's just me!" The figure hastily said, appearing to feel guilty. Suddenly feeling stupid, Brooke realised that the shadow was simply a member of the Sky Tribe. The figure smiled. "My name's Dale. What are you doing near our camp?"

"Oh...um, hello. My name's Brooke." She replied, feeling quite sheepish and stupid after reacting so crazily. "Because the Sea Tribe, my team, had two less members than every other team, Chris decided to split us up and send one of us to a different tribe to make things fairer. And...I'm here."

"Oh, that's great! It always helps to have an extra teammate." Dale replied kindly, slightly surprising Brooke. She was certain that if a new person waltzed up to her tribe and claimed that they were part of it, she would be at least the littlest bit apprehensive.

A few seconds passed in silence as Dale led Brooke along the pathway towards the Sky Tribe's camp, gently holding her hand so she wouldn't trip and injure herself. However, it wasn't long before the other four members of the original tribe burst through the trees, having heard the scream; Arianna, Adam, Griff and Hudson. They all had worried expressions on their faces, but these turned to glances of suspicion as they noticed Brooke's presence. Feeling nervous, Brooke looked at the ground.

"What are you doing here?" Adam asked, quite rudely. Brooke was taken back by this but managed to keep it from showing on her face. Despite this, she was completely lost for words. Wanting to make her feel welcome, Dale turned to him.

"Brooke's the newest member of our tribe." Dale replied cheerfully, and Brooke gave a small smile to the others. While Hudson, Grif and Arianna smiled back, Adam folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, not convinced.

"She could just be a spy for the Sea Tribe, looking for our weaknesses." Adam suggested. Arianna rolled her eyes and shoved him to the side as she approached Brooke, grinning broadly. She gave her a hug which Brooke gratefully returned.

"Adam, don't be ridiculous. Our weaknesses? We aren't in the army! Besides, there are rules against people from other tribes visiting the others outside of challenges." Arianna placed her hands on her hips and smiled playfully, hoping to bait Brooke in with her fake kind persona so she could use her to her advantage later on. Adam rolled his eyes, irritated, while Brooke looked gratefully at Arianna.

It was a short walk back to camp, and when they arrived they sat around the slowly diminishing fire, staring as the dying embers made their final dance through the air before disappearing. The six were in total silence, mostly because they were all exhausted from the challenge and one of them from both that and the elimination, but also because they were unsure how to start conversation with the new girl. Deciding they would have to know eventually, Dale chose to ask Brooke about her old tribe.

"So, what happened on the Sea Tribe? Who was eliminated?" He asked. Brooke noticed that Adam, Arianna, Hudson and Grif al perked up and stared at her, awaiting the answer. She shuffled around uncomfortably in her seat.

"Olivia." Brooke replied simply and bluntly, hoping the conversation would end there. However, like she expected, the others wanted to know more. They stared at her expectantly, so she continued, mumbling. "She was blindsided."

"By who?" Arianna asked, intrigued, her eyes flashing with cunning curiosity. As soon as she asked that question Brooke's mind started whirring as she desperately started thinking of a lie. If she told them that she was involved in the blindside, they would never trust her. She hated lying, but in this position it was necessary if she wanted to stay in the game.

"Miles and Rebekah. They both acted like they hated each other, making Olivia and I feel safe, but then they revealed that the entire time they had been in a secret alliance and were plotting against us the entire time. They voted out Olivia, and I couldn't do a thing about it. I'm just lucky they didn't choose me." Brooke explained her fake story, a tone of sadness in her voice. She stared at the ground as she spoke. Hudson gasped in shock.

"I thought Olivia and Rebekah seemed really close in the challenges..." He muttered in disbelief. Starting to feel flustered and wanting to change the subject, Brooke thought quickly of a way to justify the comment.

"With the prize so large and life-changing, you can't trust anyone with your life in this game. I'm just glad I got out of there before Miles and Rebekah could get rid of me..." Brooke continued to lie, feeling guilty while doing so but knowing she had to. Shescanned the faces of the other five and thankfully it seemed that everyone believed her.

"Well, I'm glad you're here." Griff said kindly, smiling. Brooke smiled back, and suddenly felt her heart fluttering. Her eyes widened and she looked away, telling herself that she needed to focus on the game and there wasn't any time for relationships, reminding herself of the Mike situation. What she didn't realise, however, was that when Brooke looked away Griff stared at longingly, a soft smile on his face.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"I'm so happy that Brooke is with us! It boosts our numbers, she seems really nice and kind so far and she's really pretty. Oh, wait, forget about that last part! Heh..." Griff said, realising what he said and gasping.**

 **...**

It wasn't long before the moon's rays began to fade out as thick grey clouds blocked its shine, and the Sky Tribe's camp began descending into almost complete darkness. Adam stamped out the last of the fire, and the six tired members stood up.

"We're gonna need our energy tomorrow for the reward challenge." Arianna said, yawning and stretching. She looked at Brooke. "I'll go with the new girl to help set up a hammock for her."

"Thank you." Brooke said, beaming to herself. She couldn't believe how easily she was being accepted! As the two started walking into the woods, Hudson and Griff glanced at each other, suspicion in their eyes, wondering if Arianna would try to make a move on her. However, they decided not to intervene just yet as they didn't want to turn Brooke against them and they watched as the two disappeared.

Brooke peered through the darkness at Arianna, who was walking a few paces ahead of her, leasing her to their shelter where they would make her hammock. They hadn't said a word to each other since they left the tribe, and Brooke wasn't sure how to start up a conversation with the mysterious girl. She seemed nice, however, which relaxed her a little.

"I love being at the camp so far. Everyone seems so nice, it's such a change from the Sea Tribe." Brooke said, realising how loud her voice was when it broke the ominous silence. Arianna put on a fake smile and turned to look at her.

"Yeah, it's great here. There's never any arguments." Arianna explained, then she slyly smirked and winked. "That's why we haven't been to a bonfire yet."

Brooke giggled at this as she thought that the trend of the Sky Tribe not going to the bonfire would continue. Arianna, knowing she had her, stopped walking.

"Would you like to join my alliance? I promise you that if you agree you'll be safe until at least the merge, and possbly even beyond." Arianna lied. Of course, if she agreed, then she would get rid of the outsiders first, but she would happily betray and eliminate Brooke if it meant her safety.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, who's in it?" Brooke asked timidly, wincing slightly, hoping she wasn't being too pressing. Luckily, Arianna didn't seem affected.

"Myself, Dale and Adam. If you join, we'd take up over half of the tribe and we'd be guaranteed safety!" Arianna explained with an excited smile. Brooke, seeing absolutely nothing wrong with the offer, smiled back and nodded. "Fantastic! Looks like we'll be going straight to the merge!"

Arianna threw her arms around Brooke and hugged her, but the happy smile turned into a cunning, devious smirk as Arianna's true colours came out behind her back.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez**

 **"Perfect! Now that this new girl is here, my majority alliance rules over the camp and we, especially I, will be safe for a long time! But I need to make sure her loyalty isn't wavering, because all that needs to happen for me to be eliminated is for Dale, Adam or the new girl to simply swap sides. Griff's definitely a threat to that; I saw him giving Brooke 'the eyes', and her swallowing it up!" Arianna hissed, folding her arms.**

 **...**

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)_**

Miles arrived at the camp and scanned the surroundings quickly; the beach was largely the same as the Sea Tribe's, except with a bed placed neatly on the sand close to the trees so it wouldn't be washed away by the tide. He noticed five people, the campmates, standing around the fire, preparing to go to sleep. The five people he would be spending his game with either until the merge or until he was potentially moved again. He didn't include him being eliminated, because he didn't believe it to be an option.

Oswald was stamping out the fire carefully, Jackie was putting their freshly-washed crockery and cutlery on a rock, ready for tomorrow, and Jayna, Scar and Connor were sitting around the fire, watching Oswald out of boredom and exhaustion. Miles, knowing he had to make a good first impression, smiled and walked towards them. Jayna noticed him first, out of the corner of her eye, and turned to him with a grin on her face.

"Hello! Miles...right?" Jayna greeted, guessing his name correctly with only slight hesitation. Miles nodded, surprised she knew. However, he also detected a slight hint of suspicion in her speech. "What are you doing here?"

"Chris separated the Sea Tribe because of our lack of numbers, and I was moved here." Miles stated plainly. Oswald finished putting out the fire and rubbed his hands on his shorts before walking towards Miles and holding out his hand in a friendly gesture.

"You're one of us now. Welcome to the Serenity Tribe." Oswald said with complete sincerity in his voice, and the two firmly shook hands. While the two were shaking, they both stared into each other's eyes and realised that there was a lot more to each other than they were revealing at the current moment, but they both chose not to mention it, at least not around the others.

After Oswald backed away, Jackie took Miles' hand and led him to the firepit, sitting him down.

"I'm sorry there's no more food. We actually finished our meal not long before you showed up. I'm sorry...if I'd have known beforehand, I would have saved a plate for you." Jackie apologised.

"It's okay, you didn't know." Miles said, smiling softly, seeing Brooke in Jackie; a perfect target for manipulation. Miles then noticed Jackie's eyes trailing down to his prosthetic and saw unspoken questions on her lips, swirling around in her mind. However, before he could bring it up to quench her curiosity, she spoke. "You're so brave to compete in this show, with the chalenges so brutal, having only one arm. I don't think I could ever do it." Jacke mused in admiration. As she said this, Connor, Oswald, Jayna and Scar all looked at his arm and Miles cringed slightly; he hated people discussing his arm.

"It's fine. If anything, the game is helping me get used to more. I've had it for seven years now so it's almost like a real arm for me." Miles said with a smile, hiding the painful memory of the car crash he lost his arm in when he was only eleven.

"Who was eliminated on the Sea Tribe before you arrived?" A sudden voice asked. Miles turned to see Scar staring at him intently and he fell silent, leaving an awkward atmosphere in the camp. Jayna couldn't help rolling her eyes in irritation about Scar interrupting their new member so heartlessly, temporarily revealing a hint to the distrust now between the two.

"Olivia was." Miles replied in the same manner as Brooke.

"How?" Scar asked, again incredibly bluntly. Jayna was about to step in and tell Scar to mind his own business when she stopped herself, deciding that it could posibly help her in the future if she learnt of the reason. Miles sighed.

"She loved Mike. After he was eliminated, she just went completely off the rails. She had such a huge personality change, it was crazy. She was argumentative, violent, and we just couldn't keep her around anymore. It was a pity...she had such potential." Miles lied, revealing striking resemblances between his and Brooke's strategies in their new tribes. "So, Rebekah, Brooke and myself did what was right and eliminated her. It was hard, but we had to do it."

Jackie noticed Miles was looking down at the ground sadly as he thought this over and she sat next to hm, putting her arm around his shoulder.

"It's not your fault. If I was in your position, I would have done the same and I'm sure the others would have too. Don't beat yourself up over it, okay? Don't let that one decision ruin your game, because there's many harder ones still to come." Jackie spoke softly to him, and this was met with a murmur of agreement from everyone except Oswald and Scar, who instead stared at him with a steely gaze, not believing this fabrication for a second.

 **Confessional: Charles 'Scar' Hellman**

 **"..." Scar looked at the ground for a while in contemplation, then looked up at the camera lens, staring deep into it, his black eyes burning through. After what seemed like years, he finally spoke. "...I'm not easily manipulated. This 'Miles'...I can already see him creating many problems and lots of tension in the tribe. He mustn't stay in the game."**

 **...**

"I'll walk you to bed and show you were to sleep, if you'd like. Besides, I wanna know more about your life before the game; you seem so interesting!" Jayna offered cheerfully with a kind smile on her face. Miles smiled back and gratefully nodded.

"Goodnight Miles! See you tomorrow." Jackie said, hugging him. Connor, watching this, tried to hide his growing jealousy as he also quickly said goodnight to him. Oswald nodded at him but spoke no words, and Scar blatantly ignored him, walking past him into the woods and disappearing.

Jayna and Miles stayed in the camp for a few more minutes, staring at the large white moon and the darkening sky as the waves from the ocean gently crashed into the sand. Eventually, when Jayna started feeling cold, she stood up and asked Miles if he was ready to go.

"So what's the position with alliances on this tribe?" Miles asked Jayna, shocking her. How could he be so confident about the question? She stayed quiet for a while, deciding whether to lie or not, but she decided not to because she didn't like lying and if she wanted Miles in her alliance she would need to trust him. So, she chose to be honest.

"I'm in an alliance with Scar and Jackie right now, and Connor and Oswald are both on their own." Jayna explained truthfully, not knowing the latter two were in a secret agreement to stick together. Miles stared at her for a moment, so Jayna looked at the ground as she contemplated her question. "Would you like to join my alliance?"

A smile flickered temporarily on Miles' lips as he nodded.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"Looks like I'm in an alliance with Jackie, Scar and Jayna. But this will no doubt just be temporary. Neither Jackie nor Jayna have what it takes to make it far and Scar doesn't talk enough for me to tell. That Oswald person intrigues me, however...and I'm not sure whether to work with him or against him." Miles said in thought. He then stood up. "Either way, I need to break up the bond Jayna and Scar have together. I haven't been here long, but I can already tell they'd choose each other over anyone else."**

 **...**

Jayna and Miles, the newest member of her alliance, arrived at the clearing where Scar slept after about ten minutes of walking through the trees. When they made it, Miles looked around in the dark for Scar but couldn't see him anywhere and looked at Jayna for an explanation. Jayna, with an amused expression on her face, pointed up at one of the trees. Miles turned and his eyes widened to see Scar sitting on the branch, looking up at the stars.

"Scar! I've got some good news!" Jayna announced happily, clapping her hands together to attract his attention. She was still slightly suspicious of him, but she decided to put it aside for now as he didn't seem to be talking to anyone else except her, especially not making secret alliances. "We have a new allliance member!"

Jayna threw her arm around Miles' shoulder and grinned. Scar eyed Miles, nothing but caution and suspicion in his eyes, and Miles noticed this. Scar didn't want Miles in the game altogether, and having him in his alliance would make the chances of that go down immensely, but for Jayna's sake and the fact that Miles wouldn't join Connor or Oswald this way, he tentatively nodded. Jayna smiled.

"Great! Welcome to the alliance, Miles." Jayna said, before bidding goodnight to the two and leaving the clearing to go to the shelter which she had previously shown Miles. After she left, it was deadly silent for a few moments when a strange chuckle filled the air. Scar glanced down. Miles was looking up at him, a smirk on his face.

"What is it?" Scar asked.

"You seem intelligent, Scar." Miles said quietly. Scar stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "I would hate to see someone so clever be eliminated just for trusting someone they shouldn't have. Remaining loyal to Jayna will be a death sentence for you. She doesn't have her head in the game whatsoever."

"What do you mean?" Scar asked, a bit too quickly, revealing worry which he usually kept hidden. Miles folded his arms and looked up at the sky.

"When Jayna and I were walking here, she asked me to be in a secret alliance with her. Just me and her. I just can't understand why she would ask that knowing absolutely nothing about me! It was a silly move, and it revealed two things; she isn't clever, and her loyalty to you is at a minimum." Miles executed a lie out of thin air but spoke it as if it were true. However, Scar wasn't quite convinced. He looked down at Miles.

"You're a liar." He stated venomously. Miles wasn't fazed whatsoever. "If you were telling the truth, why wouldn't you just go along with Jayna's plan?"

"I want strong people in this game, and Jayna's not one of them. If you truly are as clever as I believe you to be, you would see my side and not trust Jayna." Miles said before swiftly turning on his heels and leaving. Scar watched him go, doubt forming in his mind. However, unknown to both of them, Oswald was hiding behind a tree, watching this take place. He smirked deviously.

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

Rebekah, at the same time as Brooke and Miles, was walking to her new tribe along a dirt pathway. As she walked she nervously played with her hands as she realised that she would likely be the weakest member of the tribe in their social game because she hadn't had any time so far to talk to anyone.

Rebekah knew that she would have to be a lot cleverer than she was on the Sea Tribe and never jump to conclusions. As she was thinking about this, her mind drifted to the fact that her staying in the game was a flip of a coin; all Miles and Brooke had to do was choose her as their victim instead and she would've been eliminated, leaving Olivia in her place. She growled in frustration at her own stupidity.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"Well, the Sea Tribe's been split up and I'm officially on my own. But I'm not going down without a fight." Rebekah muttered before looking up at the camera, a glimmer of resilience in her hazel eyes. "Olivia's elimination truly showed me how quickly things can happen in this game, and how if you're not on the ball you can be taken out in an instant. I'm going to survive, and at the merge I'm getting my revenge on Brooke and Miles."**

 **...**

As it grew darker and darker, Rebekah soon lost sight of where she was and found herself stumbling through the dark. She held her arms out to protect herself from any trees, but she didn't notice the root stickng out of the ground and her foot clipped it. She gasped as she fell, but before she hit the ground she slammed into a figure who stumbled backwards. She looked up and her eyes widened as she realised it was a member of the Sand Tribe.

"Sorry! I couldn't see where I was going." Rebekah apologised sheepishly, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly as she rested her eyes upon Kevin, the person whom she had fallen into. He seemed dazed, but quickly recovered and smiled at her.

"It's okay, at least nobody got hurt." Kevin said, accepting the apology. Their eyes connected and seemed to grasp hold of each other, and the two found themselves locked in a stare which lasted a few moments. Eventually, Rebekah broke out of the trance and blushed fiercely, searching for words to distract herself from what just happened.

"My tribe was broken up because we were so low on numbers, and I was sent here, if you're wondering." She explained, stammering slightly. Kevin nodded.

"I'll take you there." Kevin said and the two started walking again in silence, expecting a conversation to start up soon. However, a few minutes passed and neither of them had said a word, listening instead to their breathing and the animals hiding in the night. Kevin decided to try and break the silence in some way. "So what happened on your tribe?"

A pang of sadness hit Rebekah as she heard the question, and she folded her arms.

"It's quite a long story. After Mike was eliminated, Brooke and Miles got into a huge argument after we made it back to camp, with Olivia and I standing on the sidelines. The two were furious at each other, and both wanted mine and Olivia's votes to secure their safety and eliminate the other. We both thought we were safe, so we didn't really think anything of it. However, we were tricked. The entire time Miles and Brooke had simply pretended they were fighting so we would let our guards down. Miles manipulated me into changing my vote when Olivia wasn't there and because of that she was eliminated." Rebekah explained her huge story, leaving Kevin speechless. Rebekah took a deep breath and looked Kevin in the eyes. "If you ever come in contact with Miles in this game, never trust a word he says or a thing he does. Eliminate him as soon as possible. I barely escaped him myself."

"Thank you. I'll keep it in mind." Kevin said with a grateful nod. "I can't believe you've been through so much even though the game's just started..."

"It's all part of the game. I can't be angry about it; I knew exactly what I was getting myself into when I signed up. I was lucky to get away before it was too late." Rebekah said and wore a fake smile, not wanting Kevin to worry about her. However, despite her efforts, Kevin realised something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked timidly in concern. Rebekah's smile immediately disappeared upon hearing this question.

"...Not really." She admitted with a sigh as she folded her arms. "I just...I just feel really alone after Olivia was eliminated. She was like my best friend in this game and she's gone just because we were stupid; becsuse I was stupid. Now I'm being thrown into a tribe full of people I've never talked to, and I'm worried that I won't be accepted...I know it's stupid."

Kevin stared at Rebekah and suddenly noticed tears forming in her eyes which she wiped away quickly, hoping he wouldn't notice. Feeling extremely guilty for the girl, Kevin slowly moved forward and wrapped his arms around Rebekah, hugging her tightly. Her eyes widened as she felt her heart fluttering and a small smile crossed her lips. After a while, they separated and loked at each other.

"Don't worry, you're not alone. I'll help you." Kevin said, reassuring the worried Rebekah. She smiled.

"Thank you."

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"I think I'm falling for Rebekah...but I'm not sure if she feels the same. It's fine, I'll just stay on her good side and she'll eventually like me back...right?" Kevin said hopefully, although there was a tone of worry in his voice.**

 **...**

After a short walk lasting about five minutes, Kevin and a nervous Rebekah stepped into the camp, finding themselves about fifteen fet away from the campfire where everyone else in the tribe sat. As soon as they broke out of the bushes and trees, loud shouts of anger met their ears and they glanced at each other in surprise before turning to look at the culprit.

Zane was kicking sand over their fire in an attempt to put out the dwindling flames, while Gabby was leaning into him, angrily jabbing her finger at his chest and screaming at the top of her lungs. Kevin rolled his eyes and muttered something to himself under his breath before turning to Rebekah.

"Er...welcome to the Sand Tribe!" Kevin said awkwardly. Rebekah looked at him, her eyes wide, not sure if she was happy or not about the current situation in the tribe. "...It's not usually like this...heh."

However, Rebekah could tell he was lying and watched in bemusement as the argument continued.

"Stop doing things without other people's say so! I wasn't done with the fire; I was gonna stay up a little longer and enjoy the PEACE." Gabby growled as she snapped furiously at Zane who tried his best to ignore her while he kicked sand over the flames which were almost gone.

"We all MUTUALLY agreed to go to bed! Do you not remember? You should have spoken up instead of staying quiet. It's a wonder for you; usually you never stop talking!" Zane muttered in frustration. As Sasha and Ingrid shared a look of amusement, Gabby's eyes trailed to the struggling flames.

"STOP!" She shouted, grabbing Zane by the shoulder and tugging him away, causing him to land on the ground with a groan. However, she didn't let go and she also fell, and the two started rolling around on the sand shouting at each other.

Sasha shoved her head in her hands, trying to pretend this wasn't happening while Ingrid groaned in annoyance and stood up, running towards the two and managing to separate them. She held Gaby back as she stared furiously at Zane, who looked back with equally as much anger.

"Guys, stop fighting for one second! We have a new person in our tribe!" Kevin shouted, running towards them with Rebekah trailing slowly behind. Instantly, as if the world froze, everyone fell silent. Four heads at once turned to look at Rebekah, and everyone was unsure how to justify what she just saw. Gabby quickly shook Ingrid off her and walked to Rebekah, a cheerful smile on her face.

"Welcome to our tribe! I'm sure you'll love it here!" Gabby said cheerfully, holding out her hand which Rebekah nervously shook. "We're the friendliest tribe by far, and proud of that fact! Aren't we, guys?"

Gabby turned to face the others and immediately her face turned into a grimace as she tried to threaten them into agreeing. While Sasha quickly nodded, scared of her, Kevin, Ingrid and Zane simply rolled their eyes, with the latter scoffing. Gabby's eyes narrowed at the three.

Rebekah, unsure what to do, simply smiled in response to this as she wondered how the events in her new tribe would pan out.

 **Day 5**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Arianna woke up slowly, the gentle morning sunlight passing through the leaves and shining on her face. She sat up and yawned, stretching, then looked around the shelter. Outside, she could see Brooke still sleeping soundly on her hammock, but the shelter itself was completely empty and devoid of Griff, Hudson and Dale. She knew Adam slept elsewhere, so she wasn't worried about him, but suspicion began rising in her mind about Dale and she stood up, leaving the shelter to search for him.

Arianna quietly walked through the woods, making sure to avoid leaves that would reveal her presence as she headed towards the camp, when she suddenly heard voices coming from a clearing to her right. She slowly turned and her eyes widened in shock as she saw Hudson, Griff, Dale and Adam all standing together in a clearing speaking in hushed voices. Anger began boiling inside her but she kept it under control and crouched down to watch.

"Dale, we know about all your disorders. It must be awful to have to live with them...and because of that, Griff and I would like to help you by getting you further in the game and possibly winning you the prize. Who knows, maybe the money could help you out. Would you like to join our alliance?" Hudson offered as he expressed sympathy for him.

Arianna growled in frustration and her fists clenched as she realised that she underestimated Griff and Hudson's kindness; she expected them to target Dale and want to eliminate him for being a liability, but instead they wanted to support him! She noticed a frown cross Dale's face.

"Thank you for the offer, but...I'm not sure." Dale muttered to himself as he looked at the ground. "I'm already in an alliance, and I don't want to betray Arianna..."

"Griff and I have been talking, and we both think there's something strange about Arianna. You're not safe as long as you stay with her; please, come with us." Hudson explained. However, Dale wasn't convinced.

"I still don't know..." Dale continued his indecisiveness. Griff and Hudson glanced at each other and nodded, and the former reached into his pocket and pulled out a small parchment; the immunity idol clue. Adam tensed up slightly as he thought about the idol itself which rested in his pocket.

"This here is a clue to a hidden immunity idol. If we find it, then one of us is safe for one elimination no matter what. Join us, and if we find it the idol might save you." Griff said, attempting to persuade him. Dale and Arianna gasped in shock at the same time, both of them surprised by this shocking revelation. Arianna looked at Dale and saw greed in his eyes, and it hit her that he had been swayed.

"Okay. I'll join." Dale agreed. Hudson and Griff smiled in relief. "But what are we going to do about Arianna?"

"Just try your hardest to act natural so she doesn't suspect anything, and we'll meet up again later." Griff explained quietly, occasionally pausing to look around. "Now let's split up so-"

However, Arianna didn't hear the rest of it. She sneaked away, the voices slowly dying out as a plan quickly formulated in her mind.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez**

 **"Hmmm...this is interesting. I have an idea for what to do, but first I must test Dale's loyalty to me. Will he tell me about this idol? Or not? That will decide what I do during the next tribal council." Arianna said ominously.**

 **...**

Arianna sat in the camp alone, the crackling of the fire and the rising sun being her only company. However, she was far from bored. Ever since she had found out about Dale's betrayal, she had been constantly thinking over her plan and making sure nothing could go wrong. She was in the middle of stong the fire when she finally heard someone leaving the confinement of the forest. She turned around and smiled; Dale.

She wanted nothing more than to throttle him for being persuaded by something which wasn't even certain, but for the time being she knew she had to act as if nothing happened. She smiled at him, holding up the façade, and he smiled back.

"Good morning." Dale greeted politely as he sat down next to her.

"Good morning, Dale." Arianna said back, but her face was clearly conflicted. Dale looked at her, slightly confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Well, not really. It's just...I've been wondering about something. Usually, in shows like this, immunity idols are sometimes part of them. I've been looking this entire time but I can't find as much as a clue!" Arianna lied, attempting to bait Dale into revealing that Hudson and Griff had one. She examined his face; Dale was clearly expressing worry but trying to keep it under control. "Do you know anything about them?"

As soon as the question left her lips, the camp fell into an uncomfortable silence. Fear smacked Dale in the face as he desperately tried to keep his cool, but Arianna was on his case and she kept her eyes glued to him. Eventually, Dale quickly shook his head.

"I haven't even thought about them. They're probably not in the game at all, I wouldn't worry about it." Dale said. Arianna, now seeing where Dale's true allegiances lied, smirked to herself.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Arianna agreed, then looked up at the sky. Dale couldn't help worriedly glancing at her as he wondered what was going on in her mind.

 **Confessional: Dale Montgomery Lawson**

 **"Something's up with Arianna...oh no, did she know that I was lying? No...she can't have...I think I seemed genuine...but what if she did?!" Dale started freaking out as he fumbled for his inhaler. "I'm sorry, Arianna, but I can't take any risks. I need to get rid of you. Like Hudson said, there's something just plain unnerving about you..."**

 **...**

Knowing he couldn't keep Arianna around and feel safe, Dale decided to take matters into his own hands and he secretly arranged to meet up with Adam, Griffand Hudson later on in the day to discuss it. So, in the afternoon, the four met up in the clearing they had talked at earlier without Brooke or Arianna knowing.

"Can we eliminate Arianna the first time we lose?" Dale asked as soon as everyone had settled down.

"Of course, but why?" Hudson enquired, slightly surprised at the sudden question. Adam, meanwhile, was staring at Dale suspiciously.

"I-I don't know why, but I just have a really bad feeling that she knows I betrayed her. I'm woried about what she could do..." Dale expressed nervously, stammering while he spoke and his hands fidgeting.

"It's okay, calm down." Griff said, placing his hand on Dale's shoulder as he tried to relax him. "As long as the four of us have majority and keep it, there's nothing Arianna can do."

"T-thank you..." Dale breathed a sigh of relief as he realised Griff was right. As he watched this, Adam smirked, having no intention of letting Arianna be eliminated in this way.

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"Oh, as if I'll let somebody as pathetic as Dale stay in the game so he has a bigger chance of winning the money! Pfft!" Adam scoffed, folding his arms and rolling his eyes. "I joined this competition so I could win, not so he could. Arianna, meanwhile, has her head in the game, and that makes it all the more exciting."**

 **...**

Later on, a few hours before the reward challenge, Arianna was lying on the beach, enjoying the hot sun shining down on her when all of a sudden a shadow blocked it out. She opened one eye to see what happened and saw Adam staring at her emotionlessly, his arms folded. Arianna sat up and looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"You're in trouble." He stated simply.

"Why?"

"Dale has betrayed you. He wants to vote you out and so far he's got Hudson and Griff on his side." Adam continued, expecting Arianna to look worried or at the very least concerned, but she showed no emotion whatsoever.

"Is this because I know about the idol?" Arianna asked. Adam's eyes widened in shock as he once again thought about the idol in his pocket and wondered if Arianna knew that he had it. Desperately and quickly he tried to think of a way to get out of this but thankfully she relaxed his nerves before he spoke. "I was there when Hudson and Griff showed Dale the clue. I know all about it."

Adam couldn't help smirking.

"You know, you're not nearly as boring and nice as I thought you were." He admitted. Arianna smirked back and got to her feet, stretching in the sun.

"I'm full of mysteries." Arianna said with a wink, before turning to leave and giving Adam a wave. "Thanks for telling me about this, Adam. I'm sure you'll do the right thing."

She walked away from him and he watched her go, a genuine smile forming on his lips.

...

Brooke sat in the shelter alone, her head in her hands, a sigh escaping her lips as she stared at the wooden wall formed of logs and sticks. It was silent and, with nothing else to do, the girl began thinking about recent things which had happened in the game, quickly coming to Miles. She thought about how clever he was, how sneaky he was, and in a few seconds she realised that she actually missed him.

She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head, furious with herself for missing someone who would happily betray her at any moment for his own needs. She reminded herself that she couldn't trust anyone in the game, especially someone as cunning and sly as Miles.

Wanting to distract herself from the thoughts of her old alliance member, she stood up to walk to the camp. However, just when she was about to leave she heard foosteps coming from behind her and turned, smiling to see Arianna approaching her.

"Hey Arianna!" Brooke greeted cheerfully, finding the girl to be her only friend on the tribe so far. Arianna smiled back, but after a few seconds it faltered and she looked at the ground in worry. Brooke looked at her in concern. "Is everything okay?"

"I...I'm just worried about something I found out recently. It's turned my entire game around, and now I'm scared of what could happen." Arianna whispered as quietly as possible, invoking fear into Brooke.

"What is it?" Brooke whispered back after glancing around quickly to make sure nobody was near them.

"Dale has betrayed us." Arianna said plainly, and Brooke could see hurt in her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was hearing!

"Dale?" Brooke couldn't help exclaiming in shock. "But...he seemed so nice! I thought he was the last person to ever betray anybody...how do you know?"

"Earlier this morning, when I was walking to camp, I heard voices coming from a clearing. When I walked over, I saw Hudson, Griff, Adam and Dale all talking about something in secret. I spied on them, and heard Hudson offering Dale to be in their aliance and Dale sucking it all up! He's nothing but a traitor." Arianna stated angrily, folding her arms, not telling Brooke about the immunity idol clue. She saw the fear on Brooke's face as she struggled to find words.

"What can we do?!" Brooke asked quickly, realising that they were suddenly in the minority.

"We're not doomed just yet. Adam's on our side, he's just pretending to be with Hudson and Griff to make them feel safe. The best we can hope for is a tiebreaker, and we need to win it if the two of us want to stay in the game." Arianna said ominously. She then looked Brooke in the eyes. "Brooke, if you stick with me and vote for Dale I promise that I will stay with you in an alliance no matter what. For as long as we're still in the game."

Brooke stared at Arianna in silence as she thought over her choice. It suddenly hit her that if she abandoned Arianna and joined the larger alliance she would be safe for a long time, likely until the merge, and wouldn't have to worry about being eliminated. However, she eventually decided that she valued Arianna much more than Dale, and she nodded to her.

"Thank you." Arianna whispered in relief and hugged Brooke tightly. However, when Brooke's back was turned Arianna's face merged into a devious grin.

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

Gabby stood alone at the beach, staring out at the sea and the islands so far away they were simply silhouettes against the portrait of the blue sky. With a small sigh, she looked down at her pocket and carefully pulled out her immunity idol, staring at it and feeling her nerves relaxing slightly as she thought that she was safe for at least one tribal council as long as she kept it a secret. She hid it back in her pocket and turned around, spotting Sasha and Ingrid walking wood over to the fire while talking happily and Zane, Kevin and Rebekah all sitting around the campfire laughing about something together. All of a sudden she realised that she was completely alone and she looked at the ground in worry.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"It's great that I have the immunity idol, but it won't last long if the tribe stays as it is. I'm on my own, I can tell that. Even the new girl is closer with everyone than I am, and she's only been here a few hours! I'm hoping to keep the idol until late into the game to guarantee my safety, and if I want to do that I'll need to get friendlier with everyone. And the easiest person...is Rebekah." Gabby theorised, tapping her chin in thought.**

 **...**

Rebekah and Kevin sat next to each other on a log, watching as Zane cut up some fish and fruit that Rebekah brought from her share of the barrel from the Sea Tribe. The fish that was already frying emanated a hunger-inducng scent which made all three of them smile in anticipation, especially the two boys who hadn't eaten fruit in almost a week.

"This fruit will definitely spice up our food!" Zane anounced excitedly and happily, clapping his hands together. He looked at Rebekah and winked. "You coming to the tribe was a good thing."

"I can't wait to try it." Rebekah said with a smile.

"Zane's a good cook, you'll definitely like it. I don't think anyone couldn't." Kevin reassured her. Rebekah was relieved; she didn't want the fruit her old tribe had earned to go to waste.

The three then fell into a comfortable silence as they listened to the crackling of the fire, water washing up on the shore and the occasional bird cackling from high above. Nobody brought it up, but all three were silently happy that Gabby wasn't currently around to cause any arguments or tension. Kevin was sitting, waiting for the food to be cooked, when Rebekah's _Legend of Zelda_ sweater caught his eye.

"Do you like playing video games?" Kevin turned to Rebekah and asked. A sparkle suddenly appearedin Rebekah's eyes and she excitedly turned to Kevin.

"I love video games! They're practically my life!" Rebekah cheered.

"Me too!" Kevin replied in an equally excited way, and the two realised all of a sudden that they actually had a lot in common. As the two continued their discussion of different video games and their favourites, Zane smirked while he began cutting up the fish.

 **Confessional: Zane Wood**

 **"Rebekah joining the tribe has been the best thing to happen to us, so far at least! She seems to be really close to Kevin, which is really good for both of us! I know how much he wants a girlfriend. Also, she could join our alliance and then we'd take up half of the tribe!" Zane announced with a devious grin. "I'm pretty sure that Sasha and Ingrid wouldn't resist to vote out Gabby. We can finally get rid of her!"**

 **...**

While Zane continued cutting up the fish and putting it on their makeshift plates, Rebekah finished laughing over a joke Kevin made and the two fell silent, watching Zane. Now that they were done talking, Zane decided to enact his plan and he glanced up at Rebekah as he cut the food.

"Rebekah, Kevin and I are in an alliance, and personally I think you'd be a great asset. What do you say?" He asked, and as soon as he heard the question Kevin turned to Rebekah, looking at her hopefully. She thought for a moment, but decided there was nothing wrong with the plan as it would mean she would be part of a majority alliance.

"Of course! That sounds great!" Rebekah agreed with a smile, and she realised that her life in the Sand Tribe was much better and generally more carefree than it was in the Sea Tribe.

"Perfect! Thanks so much for joining! I promise you'll be safe." Kevin said before hugging Rebekah, which she happily returned. After a few moments, the two separated and neither of them looked awkward or uncomfrotable; both were happy. The two shared a glance and realised they were actually starting to fall for each other. Realising the food was almost ready, Rebekah stood up.

"I'm gonna wash my hands before the meal." Rebekah said before walking away to the sea, glancing around and smiling at Kevin one last time.

Kevin smiled back then looked at the ground, the smile remaining on his face, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Zane staring at him, smirking.

"What are you grinning at?" Kevin asked, his smile disappearing and a flush of embarrassment suddenly covering his face. Zane handed him a plate, still smirking.

"I can sense a crush from a mile off, buddy. There's no need to hide anything from me." Zane said with a grin. Kevin stayed silent as he bit into his fruit but smiled to himself, wondering if Rebekah liked him back.

...

Meanwhile, Rebekah was crouching down by the sea, washing her hands in the refreshingly cool water. Her mind came across Kevin and she smiled softly as she felt her heart fluttering. She had a crush on him, she knew it. She just hoped he felt the same way. The thoughts were wiped out of her mind when she suddenly heard the sound of footsteps on sand and she turned around and gasped to see Gabby standing in front of her, eyes red and wet with tears.

Rebekah's eyes trailed to her side where Zane and Kevin still sat at the campfire and she realised that she couldn't avoid her. Nervously, she wiped her hands on her clothes to dry them and faced Gabby.

"Hey Gabby." Rebekah greeted, trying to sound as cheerful as possible. Gabby smiled back but spoke no words. Wanting the conversation to end and knowing how angry Gabby could get, Rebekah slowly began walking past her. "Well, the meal will be ready soon. We need our energy for the-"

Rebekah suddenly felt a tight grip on her arm which stopped her both in her movement and her speech, and she looked at Gabby in horror, who was grabbing her. Gabby quickly let go.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just need help." Gabby said quietly, and Rebekah stared at her, not used to this timid version of the girl. Being one to listen, Rebekah didn't refuse her.

"What's the matter?" Rebekah asked.

"..." Gabby fell silent, and instead turned to look at Ingrid and Sasha who had sat down at the fire and were gratefully taking their plates of food. Rebekah followed her sight.

"...Is it something to do with Ingrid and Sasha?" She inquired again, feeling an uneasy sensation begin to rise in her stomach. Gabby nodded silently. "Look, if there's something wrong you need to tell me more. I won't be able to help you otherwise."

Gabby looked at Rebekah, emotionlessly at first, but then her lips began quivering and tears sprung into her eyes. Quick as a flash, she was full on crying, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Rebekah flinched in shock.

"The two of them have been bullying me ever since the game started and I can't take it anymore! Nobody knows except for me and them...I can't tell Zane and Kevin because they'd never believe me. You're the only person who would!" Gabby explained as she tried to wipe her tears away, but more came and she soon gave up trying. Rebekah gasped.

"What?! Ingrid and Sasha never seem like they would want to hurt or bully anyone! Sasha doesn't even seem like she would get angry at a fly!" Rebekah exclaimed, finding this story far too elaborate to be true.

"That's what they want you to think." Gabby reduced her voice to a whisper. Rebekah remained silent, not knowing what to do about this. Gabby seemed genuine, but what she had seen in the tribe so far made it unbelievable for her.

"But why do you act so argumentative with everyone? Surely you'd act nicer around Zane and Kevin if you want them on your side?" Rebekah persisted, deciding that after Olivia's blindside she couldn't let anything she was unsure of slide.

"Don't you see? I HAVE to act like that. It's the only way to keep Sasha and Ingrid at bay! Please, Rebekah! Help me get rid of them. I was so excited to compete on this show but they're making my life in this game miserable." Gabby pleaded, grabbing Rebekah's hands.

"I...I don't know. I have to think about it. This is all too much to handle..." Rebekah said honestly. Gabby, starting to calm down, wiped her eyes and nodded, backing away.

"I understand. Thank you anyway..." Gabby said, starting to walk away towards the campfire. As soon as her back was turned to the conflicted Rebekah she grinned deviously.

Rebekah watched her leave, questions swirling around her mind. She knew that every choice she made was vital, and if she made a single mistake it could result in the elimination of herself or one of her friends. Should she believe Gabby? Or not?

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"Bingo. I think I did enough to persuade Rebekah, and if it works out I'll be safe for a long while and Ingrid and her pet will go bye-bye." Gabby said with a cunning grin.**

 **...**

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)_**

Oswald smirked to himself as he returned from hunting fish, the makeshift spear he found the immunity idol clue on in one hand and three fish tied together with rope in the other. He was thinking about Miles. He knew from the start, ever since the two first shook hands, that he was incredibly clever and cunning and now he knew for definite.

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"I knew Miles was incredibly clever; I could tell from his choice of words when we first met him. But his cunning tendencies certainly impress me. He managed to make even Scar feel uncertain about his friendship with Jayna. He's a tough opponent...and that's why-" Oswald said with a smirk, before the camera cut off abruptly.**

 **...**

Oswald met up with Miles by the campfire when nobody else was around. The two sat in silence for a while, staring at each other, examining each other, trying to guess what they would say, when the silence was finally broken.

"How are you liking the new tribe?" Oswald asked politely. Miles eyed him, slight suspicion in his eyes but not showing it.

"As long as it keeps me in the game, I love it and see nothing wrong with it. However...I still miss the two girls on my old tribe. Rebekah and Brooke. I wish that at some point I can get back to them." Miles lied, attempting to come across as more kind than he truly was.

"Well, as long as you keep up your current strategy I'm sure you'll be fine." Oswald said with a pressuring smile, chuckling slightly. Miles eyed him again, more suspiciously than before, and chose not to reply, deciding that Oswald was trying to psych him out by getting him to reveal his secrets. Oswald stared at him for a few seconds before continuing. "The two of us are more alike than you think, and you'll soon realise that's the case. "We're both intelligent. Strategic. We would do whatever it took to win this game."

"Where did you get this idea from?" Miles asked, slightly intrigued as he hadn't met someone like this so far. Oswald smirked.

"Because we both tried to do the same thing. We've both tried to split Jayna and Scar apart." Oswald revealed ominously. Miles was confused; how did he know about this? Unless...he was spying? Oswald folded his arms. "You've only been in this camp for half a day, and yet you've worked out allegiances and set out to destroy them. That makes you a huge threat...and it's also why I'd like to work with you in an alliance."

Miles remained silent.

"With both of our powers combined, and a few other puppets used for their votes, we can take control of this game. We can be unstoppable. We could be in the final two." Oswald persisted, hoping the offer appealed to him. Miles narrowed his eyes at Oswald as he thought this over, before he decided his answer. He smirked and nodded.

The two shook hands.

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"-he must go down." Oswald finished, a glint in his eye.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"I'm not braindead; this Oswald is the only person so far who I feel could compete with me. The likelihood is he's already plotting against me. But I'll stick with him for now until I think he's too dangerous to keep around. As long as I have this-" Miles slid his immunity idol out of his pocket, admiring it. "I'll be fine."**

 **...**

Elsewhere in the camp, Connor and Jackie were standing at the sea, deciding to fish for a while longer than Oswald did. While Connor attempted to peer through the crystal clear water for silhouettes or figures flashing by, Jackie sat on the sand, resting a bucket by her feet. With a sigh, she gingerly looked down into it to see nothing residing inside the metal walls.

Noticing a shadow in the corner of his eye, Connor grinned and stabbed the makeshift fishing pole into the water. When he retrieved it a fish was flopping around crazily on the end. He cheered happily and attempted to slowly take it off, but it was extremely slippery and he dropped it with a cry. The frightened fish swam away as fast as possible while Connor watched it leave, a frown crossing his face.

"Ugh!" Connor complained, feeling tempted to throw the fishing pole into the water. Hearing a quiet giggle coming from behind him, he turned around to see Jackie laughing behind her hand. His face flushed in embarrassment. "What's so funny?"

"Come on, slacker, pick up the pace! The challenge starts in a few hours and if you keep going at this speed we'll be going into it hungry!" Jayna criticised playfully, winking. Hearing this, a feeing of mischief flooded into Connor and he grinned deviously, looking down at the water.

"Well...why don't you try it?" Connor said before leaping forward, splashing her with the water. She let out a scream of shock as she dropped the bucket which fell into the sea and bobbed up and down.

Jackie burst into laughter and jumped into the water, grabbing the bucket and dunking it underneath before throwing it all over the unsuspecting Connor. He cried out and fell backwards, tumbling into the water. As soon as he emerged, the two continued to laugh while they splashed each other.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"Awww, Connor is so sweet! Whenever I'm around him I just feel completely relaxed! Maybe I shouldn't be in an alliance with Scar and Jayna after all..." Jayna said to herself as she thought it over.**

 **...**

Scar was sitting on his branch, staring down at Jayna as she shouted up at him the plans she had thought up for their strategies during the game. As she continued, he couldn't help feling more and more irritated.

"So, when we get to the merge three people won't be big enough! We'll have to decide who we think is trustworthy and recruit-oh, hold on, this reminds me of something that happened between my friends and a mall security guard three years ago! Ahahaha, it was hilarious! Basically, what happened is-" Jayna laughed to herself, going off-topic as usual as ahe rambled. Scar groaned to himself as he thought that this was the fifth time in the last fifteen minutes she had gotten distracted with something pointless and unnecessary.

"Jayna, stay on topic." Scar demanded, not a trace of humour in his voice. Jayna looked up at him, surprised and slightly hurt.

"Y-yeah, you're right. Anyway-" Jayna said, focusing, before the camera cut.

 **Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"This really isn't good...I think Scar can sense that I'm feeling a bit suspicious of him. Or maybe somebody told him? Or maybe somebody's trying to split us apart? Oh no, that can't happen! If our alliance broke up, and I joined another, I'd definitely be at the bottom of it." Jayna spoke quickly, rising her hands to her face, horrified at the thought. She took a deep breath. "No...no. It's not over until the fat lady counts her chickens. I can still earn his trust back..."**

 **...**

After talking for a while longer, Jayna couldn't ignore the uncomfortable sensation she was feeling any longer and she fell silent, simply staring up at Scar as she thought of what to say. After a few seconds passed, Scar realised she wasn't speaking and looked down to meet her gaze. The two stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"You know I would never betray you, right? I'd never, in a million years, double-cross a friend." Jayna said honestly. All this did was make Scar even more suspicious and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Why are you saying that?" Scar asked cautiously, causing Jayna to wince as she realised she chose the wrong set of words. Her mind whirred as she desperately tried to amend this.

"...I don't know. Just in case you're ever suspicious of me...I guess." Jayna said with a shrug before looking at the ground, embarrassment and worry flowing through her. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his eyes glaring at her like hot black coals and she couldn't help whipping her head up at him, glaring back. "You really don't trust me, do you?"

"It's only the beginning of the game. If anyone feels a shred of trust for anyone else it's pure stupidity." Scar replied, a slight icy tone in his voice. Jayna's eyes widened and she tok a step backwards as her mind worked quickly for something to combat this with.

"I trusted you." She whispered before turning quickly on her heels and walking away, angry and upset, tears forming in her eyes. Scar watched her leave with no emotion on his face.

 **Confessional: Charles 'Scar' Hellman**

 **"...This is an issue. Any conflict on this island can result in elimination in an instant." Scar muttered to himself.**

 **...**

 **Reward Challenge**

"Welcome, everyone!" Chris announced, clapping his hands together in excitement as the three tribes of six filed into the challenge area. "I know you realise this already because of your new tribemates, but the Sea Tribe was broken up as of yesterday's elimination. I'm sure you also know this already, but Olivia was eliminated."

While Rebekah looked down at the ground, a pang of sadness hitting her and Kevin putting his arm around her shoulder for support, Brooke and Miles exchanged a glance and nodded in respect, both equally deciding that until the merge came they wouldn't hold back on each other.

Chris, with a grin that revealed his spotlessly white teeth, extended his arm to turn the contestants' attention to the challenge. Four lines made of white paint had been drawn across the sand forming a circle that could be related to an Olympic racetrack. Most of the contestants caught onto this, while the others waited patiently for Chris' explanation.

"For the next reward challenge, you will all compete in a relay race. All six members must stand at different points of the racetrack. The member at the back will be given a baton, which they then must give to the next member as quickly as possible. The first tribe to cross the finish line holding the baton will win the reward. What is the reward, you may be wondering? Well, it could decide who's eliminated tomorrow night." Chris said ominously, examining every contestant one by one to see who appeared to be nervous, who was excited and who was straight-faced. "The reward is an advantage in tomorrow's immunity challenge that will greatly help out the winning tribe. You'll definitely want it."

After a few minutes of preparation, the tribes got into position. Starting off the race were Arianna for the Sky Tribe, Zane for the Sand Tribe and Connor for the Serenity Tribe, who all held their batons with determined loks on their faces. From atop a lifeguard chair, Chris blew the claxon which signalled the beginning of the challenge and the three sped off as fast as possible.

All three went off to a good start, practically neck and neck for the first few seconds, but it wasn't long before Arianna began to fall behind. Despite being agile, her stamina wasn't nearly as good enough as Connor and Zane's, who stormed ahead triumphantly. Their tribes shouted out words of encouragement, clapping and cheering, as they got closer to the next runner. Connor and Zane handed their batons to Oswald and Gabby respectively at the same time.

Immediately, Gabby raced past Oswald, shocking him at how fast he was. Despite this, he remained motivated and ran as fast as he could even if it wasn't as fast as the football fanatic. When Gabby was two thirds there and Oswald was about halfway, Arianna arrived at Dale, panting, and handed him the baton with a small glare.

Thankfully for the Sky Tribe, Dale was speedy and he managed to catch up with Oswald. Gabby handed her baton to Ingrid who tried to make the most of her headstart. Unfortunately, her speed was about average and because of this the next two runners for the Sky and Serenity Tribes, Hudson and Scar, began to catch up.

Cheers erupted from the Serenity Tribe as Scar pounded quickly past Ingrid who tried to ignore him, while the Sky Tribe seemed to be uncomfortable and worried as they witnessed Hudson fall back because of his weakness when it came to running. Scar handed the baton to Jayna after running for only about fifteen seconds, while Ingrid gave her baton to Kevin abput ten seconds later.

Fortunately and unfortunately for both of them, Jayna and Kevin both weren't very fast at running and because of this the positions stayed largely the same, with Jayna slightly ahead of Kevin. When the two were halfway Hudson arrived and gave his baton to Griff who hoped to make up the time. However, this wasn't the case and the Sky Tribe began falling even further behind as Griff revealed his terrible athletic skills. Thus, Jayna and Kevin arrived at the next stop when Griff had barely started.

The next two to run for the Serenity and Sand Tribes were Jackie and Sasha, both of which would rather be doing anything else at that curent moment. Despite this, they still tried their best to prove their strength to the tribe and ran off. Like everyone expected, both were rather slow but they still cheered for them anyway as they desperately wanted the advantage in the immunity challenge the next day.

When Sasha and Jackie were almost at their final runners, Rebekah and Miles, Griff finally reached Adam and handed him the baton. His heart beat hard in his chest as Adam ran as fast as he could, skimming across the sand, luckily being quick on his feet. However, he wasn't even close to passing Sasha and Jackie thanks to their huge headstart, and they gave their batons to Rebekah and Miles before Adam was even halfway there.

The Sky Tribe emanated a chorous of dismay and disappointment as they realised that they would need a miracle to win, while the Serenity and Sand Tribes waited anxiously with a mix of worry and excitement. Miles and Rebekah, both fast, knew that the reward rested on their shoulders and the two exchanged a glance before they began. While Miles offered Rebekah a nod of good luck, Rebekah turned her head away and rolled her eyes, willing herself to never trust or even speak to Miles again unless it would result in his elimination. The two started running.

Rebekah started off in the lead, but in a few seconds that changed to Miles. Then back to Rebekah. Then Miles. This went back and forth like a table tennis tournament for a moment, with their tribe members feeling as if they were about to burst. At this time, Adam gave the baton to Brooke but nobody, not even the Sky Tribe, was looking at her. Everyone was focused on the exciting race between Rebekah and Miles which was coming to a close as the two neared the end.

The two panted heavily as they both dived across the finish line, with one clearly making it before the other. Their tribe screamed in joy and ran to congratulate them, while the losing tribes sadly went to support the racers who weren't fast enough. Chris blew the claxon again to signify the end of the challenge.

"Congratulations to the Serenity Tribe on their victory! You six will receive an advantage in tomorrow's immunity challenge. Until then, go back to camp and relax. You've all earned a rest." Chris said. Like always, the tribes bid farewell to each other before departing back to their camps.

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Dale, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

The six all sat around the fire in complete silence, demotivated by their third reward loss in a row, and they all began wondering if they would ever win a reward. As everyone contemplated this, Hudson and Griff were cookingtogether, the smells from the frying pan making them feel slightly better about the situation. As he watched them cook, Dale shifted around uncomfortably in his seat.

"To be honest, I'm actually really worried about the challenge tomorrow. Chris said the reward is going to help out the winning tribe a lot...what do you think it could be?" Dale asked, his voice cracking slightly with worry.

"There's no need to worry about _their_ reward. As long as _we_ work together, we're bound to win." Griff said, trying to reassure his friend, a smile on his face.

"I'm not sure...I hope so..." Dale continued.

"We haven't lost so far, have we? That's because we have great teamwork." Griff said. While Hudson nodded in approal and Dale and Brooke smiled softly, Arianna and Adam grimaced.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez & Adam Johnston**

 **"Ugh! Don't make me sick!" They both groaned in annoyance as they sat in separate confessionals, fake heaving.**

 **...**

A few minutes later, the six of them were eating and enjoying their meal, relishing in the mix of salty fish and sweet fruit. After swallowing a mouthful, Brooke decided to show the gratitude she felt for their kindness and she gently put her plate down on the ground, a smile on her face.

"Guys, I just wanted to say thank you for welcoming me into the tribe with open arms. I was worried at first that nobody would talk to me and I'd be lonely but I actually prefer it a lot to my original tribe!" Broke exclaimed honestly, feeling genuinely happier at the Sky Tribe than she was at the Sea Tribe.

"It's always nice to meet a friendly face." Griff remarked, and the two smiled at each other. However, when Griff turned back to his food Brooke frowned as she suddenly realised that by voting for Dale and eliminating him she would also be dooming Griff. However, a few seconds later, as she stabbed her fork into a piece of fish, she reminded herself that she had to stay strong and only the ruthless would win. She realised with dismay that she was becoming more like Miles every day.

"The atmosphere is nice." Hudson agreed with a nod. "I wish it could be like this throughout the entire game..."

"It won't." Adam said, completely straight-faced, absolutely demolishing the happy mood in an instant. "Nothing ever stays happy. Something will always come along to destroy it."

Everyone fell silent, exchanging uncomfortable, awkward looks. Adam casually went back to his food after he said his piece, but the others were unsure how to start a conversation up from that. Arianna looked at Adam then back at the others.

"He's right, you know." She said. Everyone looked at her. "In the future people will no doubt be more ruthless and strategic and there's no telling what could happen. Anybody could and most likely will lie, manipulate and betray simply to further their game."

Dale's body tensed up as he ate his food, and he made sure to stay silent, keeping his gaze on his place. After a few moments passed, he thought it was safe to look up but when he did he found himself eye to eye with Arianna, who had been staring at him ever since she finished speaking.

"Like you." She finished.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Dale said, a bit too quickly. Everyone looked at him. "I would never betray anyone. N-never."

As he answered Arianna, his voice was shaky and cracking and his body began shaking, making it obvious to everyone that he was lying. Arianna's eyes hardened and she gave Dale an icy stare.

"Liar." She accused angrily. Dale's eyes widened, surprised at how such a nice, friendly girl had transformed so quickly. "I can't believe you would betray me over a stupid idol! I've been nothing but kind to you."

"W...what? How do you know about that?" Dale asked, completely gobsmacked, as were Hudson and Griff at this newfound reveal. Arianna chuckled despite her anger.

"I was watching you the entire time." Arianna spat with a venomous albeit taunting tone in her furious voice. As they witnessed this, everyone was extremely shocked at how angry Arianna was getting. Dale, speechless, could only look at the ground so Hudson decided to step in to defend him.

"Arianna, you betrayed Dale long before this." Hudson piped in while glaring at her. Arianna folded her arms and looked away.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied hastily.

"It was only three days ago when you told Griff and I about all of 'poor Dale's' disorders and everything he had wrong with him! You don't remember? You wanted us to eliminate him because you felt bad for him!" Hudson shouted, starting to get worked up as he pointed an accusing finger at Arianna.

"That's different! That was just because I cared about him and I didn't want to see him hurt, and this is how he repays me!" Arianna said, pretending to start crying. This sentence made almost no sense, but being a good manipulator Arianna managed to make Dale feel as if the situation was his fault and he looked uncomfortable. As Brooke softly placed her hand on Arianna's shoulder to comfort her, the latter glanced up at Dale with fire in her eyes. "I can't wait to get rid of you, and I will. I don't care when, but it's going to happen. Whether it's today, or tomorrow, or in a week."

At this, Dale's eyes widened slightly in worry. The camp fell into an awkward silence as they all thought about how they could possibly win the challenge with the tensions so high.

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

Rebekah sat around the campfire by herself, her head in her hands, as she thought about what Gabby told her earlier that day. She was completely unsure of what to do. When she decided on something, she began thinking about the other option and got confused all over again. She thought about how Gabby did seem genuinely upset...but on the other hand, this simply could have been an atempt at manipulating Rebekah into doing what she wanted. Also, Ingrid and Sasha seemed really nice so far, but again she hadn't talked to them much.

As she continued to contemplate her options, Kevin and Zane returned from the ocean after cleaning the cooking pot and crockery. They placed it down and both noticed Rebekah looked troubled.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asked in concern, breaking Rebekah out of her thoughts. She stared at him, then looked at Zane, anxiety bubbling up inside her as she realised she would have to make a decision in the next few seconds. With a deep breath, she looked them in their eyes.

"I know this may seem ridiculous to you, but...can Gabby join our alliance?" Rebekah asked. A silence ensued. Out of the corner of her eye, Rebekah noticed Zane glaring at her while Kevin looked flabbergasted.

"Where did that come from?" He asked in shock.

"I had a chat with her earlier, and...she really isn't in a good place right now. I just think she needs a friend. It could help her out a lot." Rebekah supported her case, even though she wasn't sure if she meant what she was saying.

"Rebekah, you must be on a COMPLETELY different planet to the rest of us. What's the matte with you?" Zane snapped, unable to hide his frustration. "You may see your twisted, weird view of Gabby, but I see an annoying, feisty, uptight brat who wants control of the tribe and nothing else."

"Can't we just give her a chance?" Rebekah persisted, starting to get desperate. In truth, she saw herself in Gabby; listening to her story reminded her of what happened on the Sea Tribe and how she felt after Olivia's elimination, and that was the prime reason for wanting her in the alliance.

"No." Zane said stubbornly, seeming as if he didn't even listen to Rebekah's persuasion. He folded his arms. "I want to get rid of Gabby as soon as possible, not recruit her."

Rebekah turned to Kevin and, feeling guilty, the boy looked at Zane.

"We should give her a chance." He said. Zane turned to him, completely shocked.

"You know what she's like!" He cried. Kevin remained silent; he simply stared at Zane. He turned to Rebekah to see she was oing the same and, with a sigh, he knew he couldn't win. "Fine, whatever. But when she acts like a petty nuisance, neither of you come crawling back to me."

"Thank you. Both of you." Rebekah said with a smile, although she was still unsure if she should trust Gabby herself.

 **Confessional: Zane Wood**

 **"This isn't a good idea...we shouldn't let Gabby in the alliance. She's manipulated Rebekah in some way, I just know it." Zane muttered with a sigh.**

 **...**

However, hiding in the woods during their private conversation and listening in shock was Sasha, who dropped the wood she was collecting for the fire and stood still, not knowing what to do. Deciding she had to inform Ingrid before it was too late, she ran off in search for her friend.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"Oh no...Gabby's managed to get on Rebekah's good side and now she's in an alliance with them...Ingrid and I are in trouble." Sasha mused in distress, putting her head in her hands.**

 **...**

Sasha found Ingrid by their large pile of firewood, dropping what she had collected onto it and dusting her hands off with a satisfied smile on her face. However, her smile vanished in an instant when she turned around to see Sasha standing in front of her, almost hyperventilating. After she had calmed down, she told Ingrid what she had heard while the girl listened in shock. When she was finished, Ingrid thought in silence for a moment.

"...I thought Kevin and Zane were smarter than that." She sighed.

"What are we going to do?" Sasha asked nervously.

"We have to talk to Rebekah. We need to get through to her and make her realise that trusting Gabby is a futile move." Ingrid said with an absolutely serious look in her eyes and voice. Sasha nodded.

After a short walk, they fortunately found Rebekah standing alone in a clearing. Upon seeing them, she gave them a small smile as she pretended nothing was going on. Ingrid folded her arms and stared at her suspiciously, slightly scaring Rebekah and making her realise something was wrong.

"...Is everything okay...?" She asked.

"We heard everything, Rebekah. Everything you said to Kevin and Zane at the campfire earlier, and we wanted to tell you that you're making a mistake that'll cost you. I don't know what lies Gabby fed to you to get you on her side, but she's not nearly as innocent as she claims she is. Not in the slightest." Ingrid said ominously, trying to control the frustration she felt at the thought of her and Sasha being in the minority. "If you stick with Gabby, you have no chance of winning. She'll use you until you're no longer needed then throw you to the dogs. That girl's nothing but a manipulator and a liar."

Then, before Rebekah even had a chance to think of a response, Ingrid had turned around and started walking away. Sasha gave Rebekah a sad look before quickly following suit. Feeling confused and worried as she stood on her own, Rebekah desperately tried to work out who was telling the truth and who was lying but she couldn't and she groaned in a mix of sadness and irritation as she realised once again how hard the game was.

Just as she was about to walk off, she heard a voice calling her name from a distance. She spun around to see Kevin approaching her at a quick pace, and she gave him a small smile as her heart fluttered once again, the conflict between her, Gabby and Ingrid temporarily leaving her mind.

"I'm sorry about Zane. I just wanted to say that it wasn't anything personal against you, it's just Zane isn't on very good terms with Gabby. Polar opposites, really." Kevin said. "It'll just take a bit of getting used to before he's comfortable with her, that's all."

"I understand. I was probably being too pressing anyway..." Rebekah muttered to herself under her breath, annoyed at herself. Kevin then looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry there hasn't been much of a chance in drama from your old tribe to this one." Kevin apologised, thinking that he was to blame.

"It's okay. I still love it here, because at least I got to meet you." Rebekah said, her cheeks flushing red as she spoke. Kevin smiled, also blushing light red.

"I-I'm glad you're here." He uttered, before looking at the ground. After a few seconds he looked up and the two smiled at each other, staring at each other in silence.

Then, as if pushed together gently, they both moved towards each other at the same time and kissed. As soon as they did, fireworks burst in both of their hearts. As they kissed, the two pulled each other into an embrace which lasted about ten seconds before they finally separated and backed away from each other, smiling.

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)_**

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"Okay, I decided. Miles must be eliminated, no matter the cost. Hopefully me forming that fake alliance with him dulled down his suspicions for a while, at the very least long enough for me to form the plan. But I have to hurry; this Miles is not someone to be trifled with." Oswald said to himself, feeling a small spark of worry.**

 **...**

"Hey Oswald!" Connor greeted his friend happily with a wave as he approached him. "I have some great news!"

"What is it?" Oswald asked, intrigued.

"Earlier, when I spent time with Jackie, I think she really enjoyed it and she's starting to turn a new page! Maybe she'll leave Jayna and Scar's alliance and come with us?" He suggested, an excited tone in his voice. Oswald chuckled at his friend's obvious crush on Jackie.

"That's brilliant to hear, Connor. Well done." Oswald congratulated with a smile, but his reason for being happy about this information was completely different to Connor's.

While Connor believed that Jayna was an extra vote who could help them in the future and also a possible girlfriend for him, Oswald thought of her just as a tool to help him eliminate Miles. After all, so far in the game the only person he had met who seemed to rival his intelligence was the mysterious teenager.

"Miles is trouble." Oswald said quietly to Connor as they walked across the beach towards the campfire. "We need to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Seriously?" Connor said, confusion flashing across his face for a brief moment. "I've talked to Miles quite a lot, and he seems normal to me."

"That's what he wants you to believe. In reality, it's simply a ploy to gain your trust and make him seem like an idiot when in reality he's incredibly clever." Oswald explained. "Miles is the only person here who threatens me, and I fear that if we don't eliminate him soon he'll become too strong for us to vote out, and he'll end up disposing of us. He's cunning. Far too cunning for my liking."

Connor nodded in agreement, knowing that when Oswald was concerned about something he should definitely be worried about it, maybe even scared.

"Thank you." Oswald said, not realising that from afar Miles had been watching the two in the same way Oswald had watched Miles and Scar converse the previous day. His fists clenched in anger.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"I knew he'd be plotting against me as soon as I turned my back! I have to act fast; Oswald will no doubt be doing the same. I'm not going to be eliminated by some petty two-faced manipulator." Miles spat, his voice betraying a hint of concern as he realised this really would be the test of the strength of his social game.**

 **...**

Meanwhile, Jayna was sitting on the mushy sand near the forest, not caring about getting her clothes dirty. She was curled up, weeping into her arms, her eyes red and sore from crying.

 **Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"I've always hated arguing with friends...and now what if I get eliminated and I never get to talk to Scar again?!" Jayna mumbled, her eyes red and wet.**

 **...**

"Oh my goodness, Jayna, are you okay?" Jackie, who had heard crying and went to investigate, gasped in shock as she found Jayna sitting alone weeping to herself. She crouched down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Jayna sniffled, for once not in her excitable mood. Jackie sighed; she didn't like seeing anyone upset, even if she didn't talk to them that often.

"Are you sure?" Jackie asked, and Jayna responded by nodding. Jackie hugged Jayna tightly, not at all convinced. "Okay. Just remember, if you ever need me I'm always here to talk to."

"Thank you." Jayna replied, giving a small smile to Jackie and watching her as she walked away.

Not long after, Miles showed up, noticing the upset Jayna and smirking to himself before putting on a façade of sadness and approaching her. Noticing him, Jayna struggled not to groan in annoyance and turned away from him, folding her arms.

"I'm fine, okay? There's no need to ask me. Just leave me be." Jayna demanded. Miles chuckled slightly at this.

"I had no intention of asking you how you were doing. It's clear that you're in dismay about something; any idiot can tell that." Miles said, coming across as more snarky and rude than he had intended. "It's because of Scar, isn't it?"

"Wha...? How do you know about that?" Jayna asked, shocked. Miles stretched, looking up at the sky.

"Oswald told me about what he did while he was trying to invite me to join his alliance." Miles explained. Jayna, who had long since stopped crying, rose an eyebrow to this and listened intently to what he had to say. "When Oswald told you that Scar betrayed you...well, he told me that it was a complete and utter lie. He told you that just to cause tension between you and Scar so your alliance would break imto pieces."

Jayna's mouth slowly opened as voiceless words came through and broke into pieces. Was this the truth? Had her friendship with Scar been destroyed all because of a lie told by someone she thought was nice?

"Not that long ago, Oswald repeated the same method, but this time the other way around. He went to Scar and claimed that you betrayed him." Miles lied, inserting Oswald into the story of what he actually performed himself. However, Jayna sucked it all up as pieces of a jigsaw began connecting together in her mind.

"That's why Scar's been acting so weird with me lately..." Jayna realised breathlessly.

"I apologise for not telling you earlier about this. To tell the truth, I was originally intending on not informing you at all, but I decided you deserved to know about what Oswald's been up to behind your back." Miles said.

"It's okay. Better late than never." Jayna said with a smile. She paused for a second. "Miles...will you help me vote for Oswald? I just can't stand knowing what he's done to Scar and I. He needs to be punished.

Trying his hardest not to smirk victoriously, Miles gave Jayna a small nod.

 **Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"This entire thing is Oswald's fault! Why Scar and I were feeling tension between us, why we argued, why he was acting so weird with me! I never knew Oswald was so...so...evil! Well, he's never going to do anything like that again. I'll show him." Jayna said in determimation, her eyes shining, not realising she had fallen for Miles' lie and clever manipulation.**

 **...**

 **Day 6**

 **Immunity Challenge**

All eighteen contestants had slept well and were ready to fight for their safety. Tribe by tribe, they filed into the challenge area to find a gigantic white circle taking up almost the entire beach drawn on the sand. Curiosity filled their minds as they tried to predict what the challenge would entail. Eventually, after five minutes of waiting, Chris stepped out of the forest, revealing himself. A large grin was on his face. The three tribes exchanged determined glances, all of them wanting to win.

"Welcome, everyone. This challenge will be slightly different to what you've all gotten used to over the past week. I will explain why shortly." Chris said slowly and ominously. "But first, we need to get a few things out of the way. Fortunately, because the tribes are equal, nobody needs to sit out! And in one of the best thought up challenges yet! Fantastic!

"Now, I will explain why the challenge is different to normal. Instead of the losing tribe going to the bonfire, which you have all become accustomed to, the winning tribe will decide who loses." Chris revealed dramatically, causing gasps to emanate from al over the beach as every contestant let this sink in. "Now I will reveal the challenge itself.

"All eighteen of you will step into the circle at once. As soon as all of you are inside, I will blow the claxon and the challenge will begin. Your job is to knock everyone who isn't part of your tribe out of the circle. The last tribe remaining wins. Everyone understand?" Chris asked. Everyone either groaned in approval or nodded their heads. He clapped his hands together, smiling. "Perfect!"

He turned to the Serenity Tribe.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about your advantage." Chris said and clicked his fingers. At once, Chef walked in, wheeling a trolley filled with huge red, cushiony baseball bats. He placed the trolley down and started walking away, grumbling to himself, when he tripped over his untied shoelace and fell on the ground, bursting into tears. The contestants tried to ignore his wails of despair, starting to feel uncomfortable, as Chris picked up one of the baseball bats and swung it. "Your advantage is that each of you will be given one of these baseball bats. What you do with it is your choice. You can use it to attack, defend, whatever."

Now that Chris was done explaining the challenge, the three tribes anxiously walked into the circle, awaiting the claxon.

As soon as it was blown, the eighteen began fearfully looking around for anyone who seemed like they were about to attack them. The Sand Tribe, because they didn't have the advantage, decided that they would have to rely on a good strategy if they wanted to win the challenge and avoid elimimation. Thus, the stronger members of the tribe; Kevin, Zane and Gabby formed a protective circle around the ones who weren't as agile or tough, who were Sasha, Ingrid and Rebekah.

Meanwhile, the Serenity Tribe had ran for the Sky Tribe as soon as the challenge began so they didn't have any time to prepare a plan of defence or attack. Because of this, they were too shocked to react and Dale and Hudson were pushed out by Miles and Oswald respectively, who were using their baseball bats. Jayna and Jackie both focused on getting Arianna out of the challenge and slowly cornered her to the edge of the circle. However, before they could shove her Adam ran forward, slamming into them both and making the two of them sprawl out of the circle and land on the ground with a groan. Arianna smiled in relief and nodded gratefully towards Adam.

While this was going on, the Sand Tribe stood at the other side of the circle, watching them, hoping nobody would notice them. However, luck wasn't on their side as Griff and Brooke and Scar and Connor noticed them and began walking towards them. They nervously waited, especially worried of the two Serenity Tribe members who were wielding their baseball bats. All of a sudden, Griff and Brooke ploughed forward, hoping to get through to the weaker members and eliminate them first. Brooke reached towards Sasha who screamed in terror, but Gabby stepped in front of her and growled ferociously, grabbing Brooke. The two, while trying to push each other out of the circle ended up both falling out.

Connor and Scar both whacked Zane at the same time with their foam baseball bats, resulting in him dizzily stumbling out of the circle. Quickly, they used the same strategy and also managed to get Kevin out of the circle as well. At this, Ingrid, Sasha and Rebekah all screamed as they realised that they were the only ones left representing the Sand Tribe. Scar and Connor than turned to Ingrid, ready to do the same to her, but before they could Griff grabbed Connor's legs and flipped him over, causing him to land on the ground just inside the circle. This made Connor drop his bat which Sasha quietly picked up and silently gave to Ingrid.

At the other side of the circle, Arianna and Adam faced Miles and Oswald. The former two were clearly worried, as they already had a clear disadvantage because they didn't have bats and they had less people on their tribe. Miles and Adam ran at each other and the latter tried to take the former's legs out from underneath him. Because of this, Miles managed to pick up Adam and swing him out of the circle. However, while Miles' back was turned Arianna kicked the back of his legs, causing him to lose his balance and also fall out. Before he fell, Arianna quickly stole his bat from him, a smirk crossing her face as she turned to the impressed Oswald.

Not wanting to waste any time, Oswald ran forward quickly and attempted to strike Arianna on the head but, being agile, she swiftly dodged and ran behind him before hitting him on the back. Oswald fell forward towards the edge but managed to retain his balance. However, it was too late and while he was in his vulnerable state Arianna whacked him out and also took his bat, before running to aid Griff, hoping she could make it to him before it was too late.

The contestants eliminated from the challenge watched in excitement as the final seven all faced each other. While Arianna was fighting Oswald, Scar and Connor had been trying to get the determined Griff out of the circle. Sasha, Rebekah and Ingrid waited in silence for their opportunity. Scar, the only one left of the Serenity Tribe who stil had a bat, quickly bashed Griff n the face causing him to stumble to the edge. However, before he could fall out Arianna reached fowards and grabbedhis arm, pulling him to safety. Oswald and Connor's eyes narrowed in annoyance, while Rebekah whispered to Ingrid and Gabby a strategy.

Arianna gave Griff the baseball bat she had stolen off Oswald, and Scar and Connor realised with dismay that they had a disadvantage. Noticing Griff running towards him, Scar held up his bat for defence and Griff pushed his bat against his, both of them attempting to outstrength the other. The ultimate winner of this duel was Scar, who shoved Griff to the ground and pushed him out of the circle. Arianna realised with horror that she was the only Sky Tribe member left and, thinking quickly, when Connor ran at her she leapt behind Ingrid, resulting in her being pushed out instead.

Angry at this devious tactic, Rebekah pushed Arianna who pushed back, and the two got into a small pushing fight. While this was happening, Scar ran forwards and hit Rebekah with his bat, causing her to fall put of the circle, dragging Arianna out with her and also tripping up Scar who fell out as well, completely eliminating the Sky Tribe and leaving just one member left of the Sand and Serenity Tribes.

However, it ended quickly. While Connor was gazing in shock at what just happened, Sasha regretfully kicked him in the back of his legs and pushed him out of the circle before collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. It was silent for a moment, everyone shocked at who won, before the Sand Tribe erupted into cheers of joy as they realised they were safe no matter what. All five ran back into the circle to hug Sasha, who smiled humbly. The Sky and Serenity Tribes exchanged nervous glances.

"The Sand Tribe wins and gets to choose who'll be going to the bonfire tonight!" Chris announced, still grinning from the excitement of the challenge. The six of them discussed for a few minutes, with the other two tribes waited anxiously, hoping they would say the other tribe. "Have you decided?"

"Y-yes." Sasha said, her voice shaking slightly. She pointed at the losing tribe. "We want the Sky Tribe to go to the bonfire."

The Serenity Tribe breathed sighs of relief as they quietly congratulated each other and thanked the Sand Tribe, while every member of the Sky Tribe felt miserable, Brooke especially as it was her third loss in a row.

"Okay. Sand and Serenity Tribes, congratulations. You can go back to camp as you're safe. The Sky Tribe, however, you must meet me at the bonfire tonight. One of you will be eliminated." Chris said ominously. The three tribes then separated; two of them in happy spirits, one of them upset and distressed, but all eighteen of them wondering who would receive the most votes and have to leave the island.

 **The Bonfire**

Late at night, when the moon was high in the pitch black sky, Dale, Arianna, Hudson, Griff, Brooke and Adam walked slowly to the bonfire area and sat down on the logs set out for them. Brooke was extremely upset as she was the only person who has been to every bonfire, and she hoped it would be her last one for a long time. Chris stared at them for a while from the other side of the crackling fire in silence, before turning to Brooke.

"Brooke, how do you feel, being at the bonfire yet again?" Chris asked. Brooke sighed sadly.

"It doesn't feel good. It makes me feel like a bad player, like I'm the one who keeps dooming my team in the challenges." Brooke admitted despondently.

"How are you fitting into your new tribe? Do you believe you're a target at this bonfire?" Chris continued, curious to know the answer. Brooke looked at everyone in turn as she thought over her answer. Ariana smiled at her supportively, Hudson, Dale and Griff simply smiled, and Adam stared at her emotionlessly.

"I-" Brooke began, but she stopped herself. She was about to reply that she did feel safe, but then she remembered Olivia's elimination only two days ago and how she expressed that she felt safe but was eliminated soon afterwards. "Everyone in the tribe is very kind and all of them have made me feel like I'm part of their family, but I can't say I feel safe. Nobody can. This game is full of surprises, and anything can happen at any time."

"Thank you, Brooke. It's time to start the voting." Chris announced, and a spark of worry ignited inside of everyone. "Dale, you may go first."

Dale stood up. Just before he walked to the voting area, he made eye contact with Arianna for a few seconds and they both realised that only one of them would be going back to camp that night. Both of them would do anything to make sure it was the other person.

Dale went up to vote.

"I'm sorry about this, but I can't take any risks. I know how secretive you can be, and I just can't feel safe being in an alliance with you."

Brooke went up to vote.

Hudson went up to vote.

Griff went up to vote.

Adam went up to vote.

Arianna went up to vote.

"Oh, ****, you have no idea what I'm capable of. You'll regret messing with me dearly."

Arianna sat back down and Chris left momentarily to collect the votes. The atmosphere was thick with tension and fear, and nobody spoke a single word. After a few seconds, Chris returned with the voting box and took the first slip of paper out.

"The first vore is for Dale." And it began. Hudson and Griff gave Dale a supportive glance, while Arianna and Adam ignored him and Brooke seemed uncertain.

"Another vote for Dale. One vote for Arianna. The voting stands at 2-1-0-0-0-0, in favour of Dale being eliminated." Chris said. He took the next vote out. "Two votes for Arianna."

Arianna and Dale exchanged a glance; in just a few moments, everything would be revealed. Who had stuck to their word, if anyone had been betrayed, and most importantly who would be leaving the island.

"A third vote for Arianna. If you receive one more vote, you will be eliminated. Dale, if you receive a vote, there will be a tie. If any of the other four receive a vote, Arianna, you will be eliminated." Chris explained. Dale breathed a sigh of relief, expecting him to now be safe. Chris took the last vote out of the box.

"The last vote is for Dale. We have a tie! Arianna and Dale both have three votes each. Brooke, Adam, Hudson and Griff, you are now safe no matter what." Chris said. Dale gasped in shock, and glanced at Hudson and Griff, who were both equally as surprised. Knowing they wouldn't betray him, Dale looked at the only culprit; Adam. His fists clenched in anger. He knew he never should have trusted that enigma. "If either of you have an immunity idol, you can play it now to be safe. Also, if any of you other four have an idol and would like to play it to save someone, you may. If not, there will be a tiebreaker."

A few tense seconds passed, with everyone suspiciously looking around even though nobody expected anyone to reveal themselves. Finally, somebody stood up.

"I would like to grant Arianna immunity and eliminate Dale." Adam announced as he revealed his immunity idol which he took out of his pocket. Hudson and Griff glanced at each other in horror, realising they had been completely played, while Arianna smirked deviously. Dale stood up, unsure what to say as he was completely bewildered. He turned to Hudson and Griff.

"Goodbye, you guys." He whispered to just them, blatantly ignoring Arianna, Brooke and Adam. He then walked away in silence, leaving the other five to themselves as they realised just how vital immunity idols are in this game and how they would truly have to be alert if they wanted to remain in the game and win.

 **Final Confessional: Dale Montgomery Lawson**

 **"I was never destined to win this game. I knew from the beginning that I would have to rely on other competitors to make it far; and the chances of me winning with that method were minimal. Arianna and Adam played me like a fiddle, and if the two of them stay in the game nobody may be able to stop them. Good luck to Hudson and Griff; you're gonna need it."**

 **...**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 ** _Pre-Merge_**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones**

 **19th Place: Olivia Haas**

 **18th Place: Dale Montgomery Lawson**

 **...**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please review to let me know what you thought of the chapter, and the next one will be released as soon as possible! Bye for now! ^^**


	8. Chapter Five: Foggy Truths

**Hey everyone! Thank you for all the reviews, I love receiving them, and thank you for all the kind words! All constructive criticism has been taken in account.**

 **Just letting you all know, in a week I'm going on holiday so no work will be done on the story during that week most likely. I'm not sure if I'll get the next chapter out by the time I go, I'll try my hardest but I likely won't so the next chapter will be out around Christmas time or just after most likely.**

 **Thank you all for your continued support and I hope you enjoy! ^^**

 **...**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Hudson and Griff walked quickly, their fast-moving feet crushing the leaves and grass below as they stepped briskly ahead of the group towards their camp. Both of them were filled with anger directed at the other three members of the tribe; Arianna, Adam and Brooke, who were quite far behind. While Arianna watched them in amusement and Adam stared emotionlessly, Brooke watched them walk further and further away sympathetically.

As soon as the two reached camp they split up; while Griff collected some dirty pots used for cooking and took them to the ocean, Hudson stayed at the campfire and turned around, his arms folded, ready to confront the alliance as soon as they stepped foot onto the beach. Noticing them emerging from the dark forest he turned his head and stared at the fire, the dying embers reflecting in his angry, upset eyes.

Suddenly hearing footsteps coming from behind him, Hudson spun around quickly and glared ferociously at Arianna, Adam and Brooke, all of whom reacted differently. Arianna smirked slightly, struggling to keep her amusement hidden, A dam easily stared back, his face displaying nothing, and Brooke looked away awkwardly and guiltily. Hudson narrowed his eyes.

"I hope you're all proud of yourselves." Hudson spat venomously, his usual kind persona vanishing in an instant and being replaced with nothing but cold-hearted fury. He jabbed an accusing finger at Adam. "I thought I could trust you. Now I can barely bring myself to look at you. How can you betray Dale so easily? He was your alliance member, and he was nothing but nice to you!"

"Dale has barely talked to me, and the only time he did he called me mysterious and creepy!" Adam snapped back, feeling his face flushing red with sudden irritation as he grimaced slightly. "I had no binds with him in the first place to break. Dale was nothing but a pathetic, weak follower who had no place in this game. He had no chance of surviving and winning or even making it to the merge. I'd much rather stick with the strong and that wasn't Dale."

"You may not have liked Dale, but at the very least you could have thought about how your actions would affect Griff and I." Hudson continued, sparing a glance at his only remaining alliance member who was silently washing the crockery at the ocean. Adam took a step closer to Hudson, and they found themselves inches away from each other, staring into each other's eyes.

"I don't care the slightest bit about you or Griff." Adam whispered slowly, making sure to drag it out so it hurt Hudson more. "I would be happy to see both of you gone."

Hudson fell silent. His head drooped to the ground for a few moments before he regained his courage temporarily to look back up. He noticed all three of them staring at him, and he suddenly felt small, alone and embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk away before he stopped himself and glanced at Brooke, who still looked unsure and guilty.

"Brooke, you're always welcome in my alliance. You're the only one standing in front of me who I don't think is completely cruel and selfish." Hudson said quietly, his voice cracking slightly as emotion overtook him. He started walking away. "You don't have long. If you don't get away soon, you might become just like them."

At this, Hudson turned swiftly on his heels and walked away quickly across the sand to Griff. Brooke watched him leave, then felt any icy presence like a cold hand on her shoulder and she turned around to see Arianna and Adam staring at her. She uncomfortably smiled, at which Arianna smiled back, while Adam folded his arms and faced the trees.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"Ugh! Why do I always manage to find drama everywhere I go?!" Brooke cried in frustration, burying her head in her hands. "Do I have a curse or something?! And now I'm part of another alliance of which everybody else in my tribe hates! This isn't looking good for me if I reach the merge...what if people think I'm like them?!"**

 **...**

Griff was crouched down by the ocean, scrubbing the grime from cooking off the pots vigorously, gritting his teeth slightly as he thought about the elimination not even an hour ago. He sighed, hating himself for placing his trust in someone who by no means deserved or earned it.

As he became increasingly more irritated, he ended up shouting out in anger, slamming the freshly cleaned pot on the sand, causing the particles to fly up into the air. He rubbed his temples, trying to calm down. He thought about how he should have been cleverer and because he wasn't the next time their tribe lost either he or his best friend were going to be voted out.

Suddenly hearing footsteps, he sighed in exasperation.

"I'm not in the mood to talk right now." Griff said firmly without turning around, thinking the mysterious person was either Arianna, Adam or Brooke.

"It's me." Hudson's voice spoke and Griff's eyes widened slightly. He turned around to see his friend looking at him, his cheeks red from embarrassment. Griff looked past his shoulder to see the alliance sitting around the campfire, and a cool anger took over him but he managed to calm down quickly for the time being.

"Sorry, Hudson, I thought you were one of those." Griff apologised before sighing. "I'm just worried about the future of our games, is all."

"It's okay. I'm worrying too, to be honest." Hudson admitted with a frown on his face as he sat down next to Griff, both of them facing the sea which looked like it had sucked up the darkness from the night; the water looked as black as space. Hudson turned to Griff. "What can we do?"

Griff turned around to look back at the three, and he suddenly felt exremely uncomfortable as if he wasn't welcome in the tribe; it certainly felt like that, anyway.

"Arianna and Adam are completely and utterly twisted. They have no chance for redemption." Griff muttered, a hint of coldness and spite in his voice which wasn't usually there. Hudson noticed he didn't say anything about Brooke. "We need to eliminate them as soon as possible."

"You didn't mention Brooke." Hudson pointed out, stating what he was thinking. "Do you think she's our only hope?"

"I think so..." Griff said. However, his voice was shaky and nervous as he spoke. "I think we do have a chance of persuading Brooke onto our side."

Hudson sighed.

"Well, we'll have to try it if both of us want to get to the merge and away from this awful tribe." Hudson said. The two both glanced behind their shoulders and stared at Arianna, Adam and Brooke who were still sitting at the fire, trying to stay warm amidst the rapidly dropping temperature.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"I truly do think that Brooke isn't as bad as Adam and Arianna, and she can be persuaded onto our side. Those two are nothing but trouble...and even if she is as twisted as the other two, I'm still not going to roll over and let them take me! I'm going to fight my absolute hardest and get to the merge!" Griff declared angrily, slamming his fist onto his palm, a determined expression etched on his face.**

 **...**

 **Day 7**

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

It was extremely early in the morning, and the light of the new day was filtering slowly through the thick clumps of leaves hanging from the tree branches, gently touching the ground. Rebekah, who had recently woken up, was slowly and silently stepping through the Sand Tribe's small shelter, trying her hardest not to wake anyone up and irritate them as she made her way to Kevin.

She reached where he slept, which was unfortunately at the end of the shelter, and she crouched down and gently shook him slightly. Luckily, his eyes fluttered open straight away so she didn't have to use her second method, her voice, which potentially could've woken up the others.

"Uughhh...five more minuuuutes..." Kevin groaned in annoyance as he blinked his few times to clear his vision, eventually finding himself staring at Rebekah, causing him to remember where he was immediately. A small smile formd on his lips and she smiled back. He sat up, a grin on his face. "Never mind, I'm awake."

"Good morning." Rebekah greeted quietly. After she said this, the two fell into a comfortable silence, both of them staring at each other in silence. All of a sudden, Ingrid stirred slightly and the two quickly looked away from each other, making it seem like nothing was happening. Ingrid sat up for a moment but soon fell back down, falling back asleep instantly.

Kevin and Rebekah shared a nervous glance.

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"Well, Rebekah and I are officially a thing and I couldn't be happier!" Kevin exclaimed as he sat in the confessional, beaming. However, his expression soon changed to that of worry. "But we can't let anyone know about it, not even Zane. It hurts me to have to act so sneaky towards him, but if anyone found out they'd definitely start gunning for us and try to split us up as we'd be weaker without each other."**

 **...**

After waking up fully, Kevin and Rebekah to leave the shelter which had grown quite cramped and stuffy in the night and go for a morning walk while the sun continued to rise and heat up the island. The two walked along the dirt path which led to the camp and noticed birds perched atop of branches taking flight and the constant buzzing of insects hiding amongst the grass and bushes. Rebekah yawned and stretched as she looked up at the blue, cloudless sky.

"I'm really happy our tribe won." She admitted with a smile on her face. She looked at Kevin, who looked back at her. "It's a change from losing constantly."

"Hopefully it'll stay that way. I don't want to lose any challenges, at least not until the merge...I'm worried I'll lose you." Kevin admitted shyly, his face blushing a faint shade of pink, barely noticeable. However, she noticed and she smiled.

"I hope we don't lose either." Rebekah said. Kevin kept his eyes on the ground for a few seconds, as the two walked in silence, when he suddenly gained a boost of confidence and he glanced at Rebekah.

"If I have the most votes, I'll take your place. I promise!" Kevin willed in determination. At this, Rebekah gasped in surprise and began shaking her head furiously as if she was trying to get the thoughts out of Kevin's head.

"No! You're not doing that! If I have the most votes, I'll be upset, but I'll leave with my pride intact." Rebekah demanded, her expression becoming that of anger, before it turned mischievous and she smirked and winked at Kevin. "I just hope it doesn't happen for a while."

"Me too." Kevin spoke softly, and the two stopped walking again and stared at each other, examining each other's facial features before staring deeply into each other's eyes; Rebekah thinking of Kevin's as a beautiful blue ocean, full of life, while Kevin looked into Rebekah's eyes and saw a thick forest full of flourishing trees.

Then, as if they were told to, both of them began leaning towards each other slowly before lunging at each other. Rebekah overpowered Kevin, causing him to wobble and fall, taking Rebekah with him, into a clump of bushes. Neither of them cared and they instead began feverently making out, the heat of the situation dulling down their common sense for just a moment. As they kissed they laughed hysterically until they suddenly heard a gasp of shock coming from behind them.

The two, hearing it, pushed each other away and glanced behind them to see Gabby standing there, her hair disheveled, having just woken up. The two tried to make it seem like nothing happened even though it was incredibly obvious for all three of them what went on in the last few minutes. Gabby folded her arms.

"Well, well...I never expected you two to ever get together." She said quietly in taunting tone as if she could use this information against them, which she definitely could. "I actually find it quite adorable."

"Gabby...! I-it's not what it looks like!" Rebekah stammered as she strugged to get up from the crushed bushes, her cheeks flushng bright red from embarrassment. However, Gabby silenced her immediately by gently placing her finger on her lips. With a smile, she turned away and closed her eyes.

"Your secret is safe with me." Gabby reassured them, causing them to feel a small sense of relief. "After all, it's the least I could do after you let me into your alliance."

Gabby began walking away towards the beach and the couple watched her leave, their embarrassment fading away but the thought of her catching them still prominent in their minds. Kevin and Rebekah shared a glance, realising from the looks on their faces that they were thinking the same thing, and they both wondered if it would affect them for the worst in the future.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"This certainly is interesting...and opens up a lot of doors for me. With this information, I could boost my place in the alliance and also stir up some mistrust. I know I said I wouldn't tell, but..." Gabby smirked, looking at the camera. "...they should know not to trust me."**

 **...**

Gabby, only a few minutes after she caught Rebekah and Kevin, arrived at camp to see Zane sitting alone by the campfire, moving something sitting inside the frying pan around as it spat and sizzled. She walked over and sit oppoite to him. The two sat in complete silence for multiple minutes, with Gabby watching the fruit and fish being cooked while Zane fried the meal.

"You're a really good cook." Gabby said, breaking the silence with a compliment, her eyes flicking up to observe his reaction. Zane rolled his eyes in irritation, immediately sensing she was attempting to get closer to him by means of fake kindess, and he glared at her.

"Stop sucking up to me. I know you're doing it just because you know I don't like you." Zane spat angrily, not holding anything back, as he pointed the spatula he was holding at her face accusingly. Gabby smirked, amused.

"Zane, if we're going to be in an alliance you'll _have_ to stop being so hostile towards me. It's unhealthy; how are we meant to trust each other?" She said. Zane shoved the spatula back in the frying pan and flipped the fish expertly. It landed back on the metal, splashing drops of grease onto the sand.

"I wish you weren't in the alliance." Zane growled. He then gave a sigh of exasperation. "I can't believe I'm being forced to work with my least favourite person on this entire island when I want nothing more than to get rid of you!"

"...Maybe you should kep your thoughts to yourself more often." Gabby said quietly, slightly surprised. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly; not enough to notice. "That is, if you don't want to be eliminated the next time our tribe loses."

"Don't threaten me." Zane whispered, his teeth gritting as his blood began to boil. Gabby tilted her head to the side in a mocking manner, her eyes remaining on his face.

"If you don't want to work with me so badly, why don't you just leave the alliance?" Gabby suggested as she tried her hardest not to break out in a grin. She knew what she was saying was preposterous; she was attempting to provoke him.

"That would be a death wish." Zane said, talking as if Gabby was an idiot. He put the spatula on the frying pan's surface for a moment, not caring if the fish burnt, while he folded his arms and glared at the argumentative teenage girl. "Also, don't even try to act like you're a bigger part of the alliance than me. I'm one of the founders, along with Kevin; you're just a vote, and don't think Rebekah or Kevin would ever pick you over me, cause they wouldn't."

Zane picked up the spatula and lifted the fruit from the flying pan, equally sharing it on five plates. Gabby smirked, the corners of her lips flicking up smugly, and she turned away, facing the ocean. Zane stared at the back of her head suspiciously and, even though he had a feeling she was attempting to manipulate him, his curiosity was peaking and he stopped cooking once again.

"What's the matter with you?" Zane snapped. Gabby looked at him in silence for a few seconds, as if she was considering whether to tell him or not, then she smiled genuinely.

"Okay, I suppose I can tell you. After all, we are in an alliance." She said, winking at him. Zane rolled his eyes, shaking his head in annoyance as he awaited an explanation from her. Gabby's expression darkened. "Rebekah and Kevin would probably choose you over me, yes. Even I can see that. But, sorry to say, they would never, in a million years, pick you over each other, not even Kevin. Not after what I saw."

"...What do you mean...?" Zane questioned Gabby, his stomach starting to tingle nervously and suspicions rising in his mind. He took a quick glance behind Gabby's shoulder to make sure nobody was there, then he settled his eyes on her face. Gabby folded her arms and grinned, tapping her chin as she recalled the events of that morning.

"I saw Kevin and Rebekah kissing openly. They were lying in the bushes! They're definitely in love, and you know what that means? You went from the top of the alliance, right down to the bottom, barely above me." Gabby informed Zane, who's mouth dropped open in utter shock. He was unsure how to react to this.

"What? I mean...I knew Kevin had a crush on Rebekah...that much was obvious, but I didn't think they'd actually get together! They didn't even tell me..." Zane thought aloud, feeling hurt and betrayed for a few seconds. However, he soon recovred after taking a deep breath. "No, no...it's fine. If they're in a relationship, that's their business. They don't have to tell me everything."

"But do you really want to risk it?" Gabby said quickly, worrying slightly as she felt her plan slipping from between her fingers. Zane looked at her. "If they get rid of Ingrid and Sasha, then me...who does that leave? You, at the bottom. You have no chance of persuading them to betray each other; they're way too deep in romance. Trust me, I've seen it myself.

"When I caught them kissing, I heard Rebekah talking to Kevin, trying to persuade him to stay on her side rather than yours. She was saying whatever she could to get him to like her more, and he was sucking it all up. He said himself that he would pick Rebekah over you." Gabby lied, realising she would have to manufacture mistruths if she wanted to trick someone as intelligent and cunning as Zane.

Zane sat in silence, completely forgetting about the meal, his eyes glued to the sand as he tried to get this newfound information to sink in. Gabby, knowing with satisfaction that he was starting to fall for her trap, decided she couldn't give up now.

"I know you hate me, and to tell the truth I'm not the biggest fan of you myself, but our positions in this game are dire, even if we are part of the majority alliance. What if Kevin and Rebekah decide to up and abandon us for Ingrid and Sasha?! It could get even worse!" Gabby explained as she attempted to frighten Zane. He was staring at her, listening carefully to everything she was saying. "At this point in time, and I know you won't like this, it might be for the best if you and I work together secretly. We need to turn Kevin and Rebekah against each other."

After finishing the sentence, she slowly held out her hand, waiting to see if Zane would shake it or refuse. Zane stared at it, thoughts whirring through his head, but it was all too much for him at the moment and he couldn't think of a reasonable explanation for what Kevin and Rebekah were doing, so he regretfully extended his hand and the two shook firmly.

As the handshake ended, Zane noticed out of the corner of his eye his two alliance members, traitors in his eyes, Rebekah and Kevin, emerging from the trees. His eyes narrowed in frustration as he realised they both left the forest together. Gabby, ecstatic that her plan had succeeded, smirked triumphantly.

 **Confessional: Zane Wood**

 **"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Zane muttered to himself as he took a deep breath. "...but it looks like I'll have to work together with Gabby, at least while Kevin and Rebekah are all over each other. I can't believe Kevin would betray me like this just because of a girl, ugh...unless...Gabby is lying?"**

 **...**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Adam sat at the campfire, freezing cold and shivering as he desperately tried to get a fire started so he wouldn't freeze to death or develop hyperthermia. It was about four in the morning and the sky was still pitch black and starless. The ocean was completely silent and black as coal, and it appeared that the only living thing awake on the island was Adam himself. He sighed worriedly, exhausted as he didn't get a single minute of sleep that night.

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"I can't take it anymore. I need to let somebody know about my past...about why I'm like this. That I'm not just some emotionless freak who makes other people's lives miserable for their own entertainment. I can't tell Griff and Hudson, they probably hate me so much right now, and I don't trust Brooke with anything. That leaves Arianna...I'm sure that after I saved her from being eliminated she thinks of me as a friend...right?" Adam said, quite nervously.**

 **...**

As soon as one of the sparks finally began burning on one of the logs delicately placed in the firepit a rustling sound emanated from the bushes and Adam peered through the inky darkness to see a girl with auburn hair and piercing green eyes walking towards him; Arianna.

When she spotted him she grinned and sat down next to him, shivering slightly and holding out her hands in front of the crackling flames. Adam didn't bother saying a word of greeting to her; he wasn't in a very good mood, as usual. Arianna leaned forwards and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"I have to say, your play at the elimination was brilliant. Absolutely fantastic." Arianna said, smirking as she thought about it, speaking genuinely. "I absolutely loved seeing the shocked faces on those losers, ahaha! The two of us are going to make a briliant team."

She waited for Adam to answer, but he never did. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"What's wrong? Are you feeing guilty about what we did at the vote?" Arianna asked, a slight tone of suspicion in her voice. Adam, his eyes wide, shook his head quickly.

"No, no, I'm glad that Dale's gone. I would pick you over him any day. I...I just have things on my mind, I suppose." Adam admitted, feeling slightly shy and nervous which was unlike him. He looked up at Arianna. "I can tell you anything, right? And you'll keep it a secret? I mean, you kinda owe me at least your word for me helping you stay in the game at the elimination."

"Of course." Arianna said while giving a nod, completely sincerely. Adam stared at her for a few seconds, then sighed and stared into the fire, almost as if he was seeing a story being played out in the flames.

"I...I wasn't always as cold and untrusting as I am now. In reality, it's just a façade I put on to stop people from getting close to me. I...I don't want anyone to get close to me. Ever again. I-I...um..." Adam tried to continue but his voice kept cracking as he began to get upset, tears forming in his eyes. Arianna's eyes widened in shock; she had never seen Adam reveal so much emotion before. She leaned close to him and gently placed her hand on his leg.

"Adam, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't judge you for it, or use it against you, or tell anyone. You can trust me." Arianna whispered. With a deep breath, and feeling slightly relieved, Adam nodded.

"When I was fourteen, my...my parents...we were driving along casually, when we suddenly got into a crash. My parents...they died instantly, and I was lucky to survive. I was the only survivor...ugh, why did it have to be me?! Why?!" Adam cried out loudly, piercing the relaxing silence of the night as tears began fallig from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. "After that, I willed myself never to get close to anyone, because I'm worried that if I do...they'll die as well!

"But after meting you...I-I don't know, there's just something about you. You're starting to change my mind." Adam admitted softly, before furiously rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tears, feeling embarrassed and pathetic.

"I feel the same. Just remember, Adam, you can tell me anything whenever you want. I'm always here for you." Arianna said. Adam smiled slightly at this.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez**

 **"Ahahahahaha! Pfft, as if I care about his stupid sob story. Call me sick, twisted, disgusting, whatever, I can take them all. I'm not here to make friends and I'm certainly not here to council anyone! I'll use his story to my advantage, and manipulate him to keep him under my nose until I don't need him any longer." Arianna spoke quietly and venomously, her smile widening as she talked. She folded her arms. "He's a fool for trusting me after knowing what I'm like."**

 **...**

Brooke sat alone in the middle of the wood that were beginning to brighten up, revealing more and more of her surroundings with every passing minute. She was next to the small lake full of fresh water that the contestants used to drink from and stay hydrated, as she found it relaxing. Vibrant flowers of all colours; red, yellow, blue, green and purple grew around the edges, stretching up as far as possible, attempting to salvage some of the sun's desperately needed rays.

Brooke sighed, a small smile on her face as she leaned down, cupping her hands together to gather a mouthful of the cool, freshing water. As it rolled down her throat she smiled, grateful for something that could cool her down in such a hot environment. She wiped her mouth, then stared at the still, clear water.

"I wish the game could be like this all the time..." Brooke whispered to herself.

"Are you talking to yourself?" A sudden voice spoke frim behind her, causing Brooke to shriek outloud and fall forwards, having to quickly roll to the side to stop herself from tumbling into the water. She scrambled to her feet and turned around to see Griff eyeing her.

"N-no!" Brooke exclaimed, stuttering slightly and making it extremely obvious she was lying. Grif smiled at her, clearly amused.

"It's fine. I can keep a secret, there's no need to worry." Griff said, before walking forward and filling up his water cannister before sitting down next to Brooke, who had sat back down after the initial shock.

"Um...thanks." Brooke replied awkwardly, unsure at why Griff was being so nice to her after what happened the day before. She tilted her head to the side, inquisitive. "What are you doing at the lake?"

"Well, I need to fill up my water." Griff said, shaking the cannister and hearing the fresh water sloshing against the edges. He then looked at the water. "I also come here whenever I feel stressed, and I definitely have a reason to feel stressed right now."

Brooke cringed slightly at that last part, feeling like Griff was angry at her, and she turned her head away, worried that if she looked at him he would be glaring angrily at her. However, after a few moments of silence she decided she at least owed him a conversation.

"It's beautiful." She said quietly. As Griff nodded in agreement, the two fell silent, both of them surprised at how relaxing it actually was despite the circumstances. However, Brooke couldn't help feeling like Griff was angry at her and, feeling awkward, she turned to him. "Griff, I'm really sorry about voting for Dale but I'm part of an alliance and I couldn't go against them. You know that, right? I really hope you won't hold it against me."

Dale stayed silent for a while as he thought this information over.

"Brooke, being in an alliance with Arianna and Adam is dangerous and unsafe. It won't do you any good in the long run. They would hapily betray you at a moment's notice to save themselves and not feel the slightest bit of remorse about it." Griff spoke slowly, hoping his words would sink into Brooke's mind and result in her switching allegiances. "I would happily welcome you into my alliance with open arms, and I'm sure Hudson would too. You'd be much safer with us."

"...I'm not sure. I'm worried about what Arianna and Hudson would do if they found out I betrayed them..." Brooke expressed her worries, fear overtaking her logic.

"But if you joined us, the three of us would hold majority. That way we could eliminate both Arianna and Adam and never have to worry about them again. They wouldn't be able to betray anyone, hurt anyone, or ruin anyone's lives ever again!" Griff said, his voice starting to raise in volume as he became more desperate, before he eventually started pleading. "You're mine and Hudson's last hope!"

"I'll think about it!" Brooke exclaimed, feeling stressed. She stood up and walked away briskly, hoping Griff wouldn't follow her. He watched her disappear amongst the trees nervously.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"I hope I didn't push Brooke too far...I'm just getting nervous. If we lose one more time I could be going home, and if not me Hudson. I need to persuade Brooke as soon as possible to get on our side." Griff said as he tried to remain hopeful.**

 **...**

After staying at the lake for a few minutes later, trying to enjoy the last few minutes of peace before inevitably having to head into the tense camp, Griff broke through the forest and entered the beach, the hot sun falling on his face. He looked around, spotting Hudson sitting by the ocean, who was wondering how the recruitment attempt went. Hearing footsteps, he glanced behind his shoulder and a smile rose to his lips as he saw his friend. He stood up.

"Hey Griff!" Hudson greeted happily and hopefully, trying to ignore the growing feeling of worry in the pit of his stomach. The feeling got ten times worse when he saw the look of dread in Griff's eyes. "...What happened?"

"It was all going as planned for a while. Brooke and I were talking, and it was actually really relaxing, but when I asked her to join I feel like I pushed her too far for the time being. She walked off, and she looked upset. Now I'm worried that I've either ruined the chances of her joining or she's going to tell Arianna and Adam and they're going to keep an extra eye on her to make sure they don't leave her sight." Griff expressed worriedly, the fear clearly being portrayed in his voice as he kept stammering while he spoke. He hung his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Hudson."

"It's okay, Griff. We still have a chance to get Brooke on our side; we just have to stay hopeful and also be careful with our words. It's vital; it could be the last thing that prevents us from being eliminated until we reach the merge." Hudson instructed, his tone completely sincere. Griff nodded, realising how important the situation was.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Arianna was standing a distance away, crouched down in the sand, having sneakily listened to the entire conversation between the two of them. This was a revelation to her, and even though she was shocked, she was still very amused and she smirked deviously, thinking of the many possibilities of evil she could do with this newfound information.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez**

 **"Wow, surprises are just coming in my direction left, right, up and down! That's okay though; I love surprises, it leaves gaps open for my lies and manipulation to swoop in." Arianna said slowly and menacingly, winking at the camera. "Now, Griff and Hudson, trying to steal my alliance member away? They won't know what hit them."**

 **...**

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)_**

Connor and Jackie were working together to cook the morning meal, hoping to make it the best possible so they could impress their tribe members and also set them up for the impending reward challenge. So far, they had won two out of three reward challenges, and they were hoping to keep up their streak.

"It's been about fifteen minutes, Jackie." Connor told her as he examined the sky. Jackie, her tongue sticking out of her mouth slightly in concentration, carefully lifted the browned fish from the frying pan and rested it on a plate, then leaned close and smelled it, sighing joyfully.

"It smells amazing. I can't wait to try it." Jackie remarked with a satisfied smile on her face, when she realised something and her expression changed to that of confusion and curiosity. "Wait, how did you know fifteen minutes have passed? It's not like there are any clocks or timers on the island..."

"I can tell by how much the sun has shifted." Connor explained, pointing up at the sky at the huge, bright orb which gave light to the world. Jackie gasped, impressed.

"Wow...Connor, you've adapted so much already even though we've only been on the island for a week. I wish I could be like you." Jackie said in admiration, her eyes sparkling.

"Thanks..." Connor mumbled humbly, his cheeks flushing red as he sheepishly looked at the plate of fish. The two fell silent as Jackie retrieved a knife and fork and began cutting the fish up into five portions. As she did, Connor looked up at her.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"Okay, this might be my last chance to turn the tables against Scar and Jayna. I don't want to have to do it, but if I want to stay in the game it's necessary. I think I've gotten close enough to Jackie...and I think she likes me enough...for her to join mine and Oswald's alliance?" Connor said hopefully.**

 **...**

"Hey Connor, can you go find the others and tell them the meal's ready? I don't want it to go cold before they arrive." Jackie asked, talking about Scar, Jayna, Miles and Oswald who weren't by the campfire or anywhere on the beach. Connor got to his feet.

"Okay." He replied. However, he hesitated, still thinking about whether to ask Jackie to join his and Oswald's alliance. After a few seconds, Jackie looked up and noticed he was still there and glanced at him in confusion.

"Why-" Jackie began, but she stoppd herself. She was about to ask him why he was still standing there, but she noticed the conflicted look on his face and she began feeling worried for him. "Connor, is anything wrong?"

"No, I was just...thinking about something." Connor said, clearly evading the question. Jackie folded her arms and stared at him, unimpressed, and he knew he couldn't hold it up. He looked her square in the eyes. "Jackie, do you feel happy in your alliance? Safe?"

"..." Jackie didn't answer, and slowly began cutting the fish again as she thought over her answer. She could tell Connor the truth, right? "To be honest, Connor, no. I'm not. I feel left out, like they're only using me for my vote and nothing else. I've hardly talked to them as well; I mean, I've talked to wardrobes more than I've talked to them!"

As she spoke, she averted her gaze from Connor, who took a deep breath and decided to go forth with his plan.

"Look, Jackie...why don't you join Oswald and I?" Connor suggested nervously. Jackie looked up at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock. "I promise we will never leave you out of anything. We'll treat you like a genuine, true alliance member; like Jayna and Scar _should_ be treating you."

"..." Jayna remained silent. She wanted, so badly, to say yes, but she didn't want to betray Jayna and Scar and have them hate her for as long as she or they stayed in the competition.

"Do you feel like you could make it far with Jayna and Scar? Like you could be in the final three and possibly win the game?" Connor asked. Jackie realised all of a sudden that she didn't.

"No...I don't." She replied slowly. Connor gently rested his hands on her shoulders.

"That's exactly the reason for why you should join my alliance. I promise I would never betray you. Never in a million years." Connor said, and he meant every word. Jackie could see he was telling the truth by looking at his face, and she realised that joining him and Oswald would be a good decision. After thinking it over for a few more seconds, nodded and smiled.

"Okay. I'll join your alliance." Jackie said, causing Conor to exhale a breath he had been holding in ever since he first brought up the topic. "But what should we do about Jayna and Scar? I don't want them to find out."

"Just act normal around them. Don't let them get even the slightest suspicious of you. You'll manage; I'm sure of it." Connor sid in determination. Jackie nodded, her fears starting to die down a little.

"Okay. Besides..." Jackie smirked slightly. "...it shouldn't be too hard, they never talk to me anyway!"

The two laughed for a few seconds, before regaining their composure and returning to their serious, cunning mindsets. As they talked, the cooked fish began to get colder and colder but the two had lost care in it; they needed a secure person to vote for, or else at the elimination they wouldn't know who to go for and it could all go wrong.

"So, have you and Oswald got any idea of who you want to get rid of first? If we lose, of course." Jackie said, getting more and more intrigued.

"Well, based on what Oswald's been telling me, Miles appears to be an enormous threat. Oswald told me he has to be eliminated as soon as possible." Connor informed Jackie, and watched as her eyes widened in shock.

"Wow, really? But Miles seems really nice...I'd never think of him as a threat." Jackie stated honestly. Connor nodded.

"That's exactly what I thought too, and it's what I said to Oswald when he told me. But then he said how the likelihood is Miles is very talented at manipulation and tricking people by pretending to be someone he isn't. If he stays, I'm worried about what he could do." Connor said. Every word he spoke made Jackie more and more shocked and paranoid, until she was completely and utterly willing to vote Miles out.

"Okay. Next time we lose, I'll help eliminate Miles." Jackie said, and Connor smiled.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"Well, I'm in an alliance with Oswald and Connor now and in my opinion I think it's a lot better than being in one with Jayna and Scar, but I still feel really bad. I just hope they won't find out..." Jackie whispered nervously to herself.**

 **...**

Jayna stomped through the woods, pushing away low-hanging branches and kicking past shrubbery as she ran as fast as she possibly could, worry infesting her mind. She was thinking about Scar and the argument the two shared the day before; she was wondering if Scar stil wanted to be in an alliance with her, and the thought of him refusing made Jayna want to cry.

Jayna knew that if the two were going to make up they would have to do it quickly as it was inevitable before their team lost an immunity challenge, even though they were doing incredibly well thus far, and she didn't want the two of them having different opinions on matters such as the vote when the time eventually came as it could result in one of them being eliminated, especially with Oswald messing with their heads.

She broke out into the alliance clearing and practically skidded to a halt, kicking up dirt. She flicked her head up to the tree and, as expected, Scar was sitting on the branch he was usually at, his head aimed to the sky. He wasn't moving. Jayna, for a few moments, wasn't sure whether Scar was asleep or not, so she awkwardly stood staring at him, when he suddenly looked down at her.

"..." Jayna stared back at him as she wondered whether to apologise or not, but a sudden flash of anger prevented her from doing so and she instead decided to get to the point. "We need to vote for Oswald at the elimination."

"Why?" Scar asked bluntly.

"He's been feeding me lies; claiming that you've been going up to him and telling him everything about our alliance to try and cause drama between us and make us trust each other less." Jayna explained the story, to which Scar listened with no expression on his face. "Miles told me about it. Apparently, Oswald was telling him while trying to get Miles to join his alliance."

Scar's eyes sparkled slightly upon hearing Miles' name, and he looked Jayna dead in the eye.

"Miles can not be trusted. Possibly even less than Oswald." Scar said darkly, a grim look in his eye. This was a shock to Jayna, and she wasn't sure how to react.

"What? No, that doesn't make sense! All Miles has been to me is kind and caring, there's no way he's less trustworthy than Oswald." Jayna objected. However, Scar blatantly ignored her and continued.

"I first realised on his first day here in the camp. Only seconds after you invited him to our alliance and left to go to sleep, Miles told me that you had asked him to be in a secret alliance with you behind my back."

"What?! I never did that!" Jayna cried out in horror.

"That's why we had that argument that ended with you storming away. Miles is equally as guilty for causing mistrust between us as Oswald is." Scar explained.

"So when Miles came over to me and blamed Oswald for the entire situation...half of it was actually his fault!" Jayna realised with a start as she began to connect the dots. She groaned, burying her head in her hands. "Ugh, our tribe is full of snakes! What can we do?!"

Jayna, as she was extremely shocked and confused at that moment in time, was unable to think of a reasonable plan and so she looked at Scar for help, hoping he would be able to relieve her stress in some way as she felt like she couldn't trust anyone.

"It's obvious; we get rid of either Miles or Oswald wkth the help of Jackie, then eliminate the other while we hold majority." Scar explained. Jayna nodded slowly, but there was one last mystery she wanted to solve.

"Who do we vote out first?" She asked. She waited for Scar's answer, who was thinking in a careful and calculated way.

"Miles. Even though both of them have lied and are incredibly sneaky, Miles seems to be more confident as he began stirring drama as soon as he arrived in the camp. That makes him very dangerous and unpredictable; it's a necessity that we eliminate him first." Scar instructed. He looked at Jackie. "Go and tell Jackie, but nobody else. The three of us will be enough to take him out, and I don't trust Connor and certainly not Oswald enough to inform them as they could potentially betray us."

Jayna gave a small nod and slowly left the clearing, shaken up after all this new information that had been planted into her head, her body shaking nervously.

 **Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"I can't believe how hard I was played by Miles...he's so good at lying and manipulating it's unbelievable. Well, I can't wait to see that smug smirk wiped right off his face when he finds out he has the most votes at our next elimination...I hope." Jayna said, her voice cracking slightly in worry.**

 **...**

Jayna stepped onto the beach, her sole goal in mind being to talk to Jackie about eliminating Miles once and for all. She found her alliance member standing alone by the campfire, stoking a log with a stick to arrange it into a more beneficial position. Jayna called her name, waving and smiling, hiding the worry she was feeling.

Jackie, heaing her voice, turned around and smiled as well, although inside she was terrified, worried that Jayna knew she had betrayed her and was about to confront her about it. Luckily for her, however, her worries were soon quenched as Jayna's mind was on completely different things.

"Hey Jackie!" Jayna called, but as soon as she was close she dulled her voice down to a whisper. "Scar and I have been talking; we've decided to vote for Miles the next time we lose an immunity challenge."

Hearing this relieved Jackie immensely as it meant she didn't have to pick sides because both of her alliances wanted the same person eliminated and therefore Jayna and Scar wouldn't know she had betrayed them, at least not for a while. She gabe a nod to Jayna.

"Of course. But why?" She asked. A cloud of frustration turned Jayna's face red and filled her eyes with thunder as she thought about the reason for why she wanted Miles eliminated.

"He's been telling lie after lie to Scar and I, trying to turn us against each other and break our alliance up, all while blaming Oswald for it all! I'm worried that if he stays much longer he could cause even more trouble and I would hate to see him win by turning people against each other." Jayna spilled everything, her body shaking in anger as she recalled the events.

"Oh my...this is a huge shock!" Jackie exclaimed, pretending this was the first she had heard of Miles' treacherous tactics and strategies. Jayna nodded in agreement.

"It was a shock to me too, but at least now we both know never to trust him and soon he'll be eliminated so we'll never have to worry about him again in due time." Jayna reassured her, placing her hand on her deceitful friend's shoulder.

"Okay. Yeah, I'll definitely vote for Miles." Jackie said honestly. A small smle rose on Jayna's lips.

"Thank you." Jayna said, then she turned to leave. "Oh, and try to ignore him as much as possible too so he can't fill your head with any of his lies."

"I'll try." Jackie said, and Jayna walked away.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"Well, thankfully, my secret can stay a secret for at least a little bit longer because both of my alliances want to vote for Miles." Jackie said, breathing a sigh of relief while placing her hand on her chest. "I just can't believe all these sneaky things Miles has been doing...I guess it goes to show that anyone can be hiding their true intentions in this game."**

 **...**

 **Reward Challenge**

The three tribes; Sky, Sand and Serenity, still getting used to there not being four, walked onto the beach that they had been using as the challenge area ever since they had first stepped onto the island. As soon as the three got settled on their tribe mats that had their tribe colours on them; blue, yellow and green respectively, they all looked at Chris, but most eyes were on the gigantic, deep, pitch black hole sitting behind him.

"Welcome, everybody. Before we get started; as you may have already noticed, the Sky Tribe is missing a member." Chris informed everyone, and the other tribes looked at the five remaining on the tribe that lost yesterday, causing them to feel a rush of shame. "Dale was eliminated at the bonfire."

Chris then held out an arm, indicating to the hole.

"For today's reward challenge, fifteen of you will be placed into this hole. The objective is simple; the first team to get all of their members out and ring the bell will win the reward, which is-"

Chris stopped himself as Chef walked in, carrying something large in a white blanket while he grumbled to himself. As he walked, he tripped over a rock and fell, landing face down on the sand and exploding into tears of dismay. The contestants and Chris awkwardly tried to ignore his wailing as Chris gripped the blanket and whipped it off the reward, and gasps emanated from around the tribes.

"-two fishing poles and bait for your camp, alongside a box to store them in to keep them safe and dry when it rains!" Chris announced, and excited murmurs were whispered amongst the competitors. All of them wanted to win this prize, as it would make their lives in camp much easier. Chris turned to the Sand and Serenity Tribes. "Now, to make it fair, one contestant from each of your tribes must sit out. Bear in mind, this contestant must compete in the immunity challenge tomorrow. Who will it be?"

After a short few minutes of discussion, it was decided that Ingrid would sit out for the Sand Tribe and Jackie would sit out for the Serenity Tribe. The fifteen competing players were put into the dark hole, and when they reached the bottm they realised they could barely see their hands in front of their faces, the only light being from the sun high above in the sky.

All of a sudden, Chris blew the claxon and the contestants got to work.

The Sand Tribe had managed to think of a plan within a few seconds; the dive decided to stack up as a tower, and the top person would jump out of the hole and help the others climb up. Zane, confident in his abilities, decided to stand at the bottom of the tower, ignoring Gabby's protests of her being the strongest and therefore she should.

Gabby clambered on top of Zane, followed by Kevin, Rebekah and finally Sasha. The timid girl's head barely rose above the hole and she reached up her arms as high as she possibly could, managing to get a grip of the sand. However, as she began pushing her body into the air, the sand gave way and she let out a shriek as she plummeted to the bottom, her body slammng onto the ground.

Unfortunately, this caused everyone else on the tower to fall like dominoes and in a few seconds the sandy ground was covered in members of the Sand Tribe.

"Ugh, guys! We have to focus!" Gabby snapped, her face dark with rage, as she noticed the other two tribes working quickly. "We need this reward! Control yourselves!"

"Gabby, we made a mistake! Calm down, the challenge has barely started!" Ingrid snapped back, already irritated about the fact that she had hit her head against the hard wall of the hole. Gabby glared venomously at her, and Ingrid glared back. Rebekah ran in-between them.

"We don't have time for this!" Rebekah pleaded, and thankfully for the tribe Gabby and Ingrid backed off, sharing one last glare before continuing to work on their human tower.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the hole, Scar managed to somehow get a good grip on the wall of sand. With a small jump, he began crawling up the wall while his tribe watched in awe, wondering if the mysterious teenager was actually a human.

Scar reached the top of the hole and rolled onto safe land. Quick as a flash, he crawled to the end and leaned his arm down for someone to jump up and grab it. His tribe cheered and clapped for him.

"Yes! Good work, Scar!" Oswald congratulated as he crouched down to give Jayna the small boost she needed. She carefully placed her foot on his hands and he lifted her up until she was high enough to grab Scar's hand. Gritting his teeth slightly, Scar managed to pull the girl onto the beach and bring his tribe into the lead. Jackie cheered from the sidelines.

"Guys, we have to work faster! The Serenity Tribe's almost got half of their members to the top!" Brooke cried worredly as she took a quick glance behind her shoulder and fear embedded itself in her heart.

The Sky Tribe had taken a completely different approach to the other tribes and instead of stacking up or jumping, they instead decided to dig sand out of the hole and form it into a small hill that they could use to clamber up. At the moment, even though they were working quickly, they had only formed a small, miserable pile of sand that was barely above the height of the ground itself.

"Maybe we should try something else?" Hudson suggested nervously as he managed to drag a good clump of sand from the wall. Arianna shook her head at this.

"No, we've already started it, it's our only hope at this point." She said through gritted teeth, her arm muscles burning in pain. Sand fell all around them.

"I...got it!" Sasha exclaimed breathlessly as she finally managed to roll onto the beach. She lay there for a few moments, taking deep breaths and enjoying the sun, before she snapped back into the situation and she leaned over the hole, shouting motivation to her teammates.

Rebekah leapt up as high as she could, and her fingers managed to grip hold of the edge of the hole. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she silently begged the sand not to fall and result in her landing on her team and making them fall to the ground. Luckily, it didn't, and she slowly began to pull her body up.

Sasha, wanting to help, grabbed Rebekah's arms and began to pull but it had the opposite effect and it caused Rebekah to lose her grip on the floor and actually fall with a scream. Sasha cringed, feeling extremely guilty as she saw her tribe scatter on the ground again. She flicked her head up to see the third member of the Serenity Tribe, Connor, reach the top of the hole.

"Oh no..." Sasha whispered. She looked at her tribe. "You can do it, guys! Just try your hardest!"

The Sky Tribe piled sand on top of sand, which had reached knee-height. All of them were sweating and panting but they didn't stop as they wanted the reward and to prove to the other tribes that they could win something.

"We're almost there, guys! It's almost high enough!" Griff yelled, hoping to motivate his team. Unfortunately, the other two tribes heard this and thus they began working even faster than they were previously. In a matter of seconds, the Sky and Serenity Tribes both got another member to the top; Rebekah and Oswald respectively.

"The Serenity Tribe have almost won! Hurry!" Zane cried in desperation as he rose to his full height, with Gabby balancing precariously on top of him. Their combined heights was barely enough to get Kevin to the top. He began crawling onto the surface of the beach while Rebekah and Sasha helped to pull him to safety.

"The Serenity Tribe are in the lead, with only Miles left to reach the top! The Sand Tribe aren't far behind, with two, but the Sky Tribe are yet to get anyone to the top!" Chris read out the events of the challenge as he struggled not to hop about in pure excitement. "Who will win the fishing equipment?"

"Okay, okay, it's enough! Go one by one, but be fast!" Arianna ordered to her team. In relief, everybody stopped digging the sand out of the wall of the hole. Hudson went first, and he speedily ascended the hill of sand, the adrenaline powering his usually sub-par running skills. He reached the top, and Arianna started running up, almost falling as some of the sand gave way but managing to recover her balance.

However, it all seemed to be for naught as Miles, with the help of his team, pulled himself to the top of the hole. However, just as they were about to run for the bell, disaster struck. The collective weight of the five members of the tribe on the edge of the hole spelled bad news for them and the ground gave way, causing them all to fall back in with screams of surprise and fright and land on the ground, groaning in pain. Jackie shrieked in horror as she watched her tribe fall to the bottom.

"Yes! The heavens are looking down on us today!" Gabb whooped in joy as she observed this before leaping into the air from Zane's shoulders. Kevin and Rebekah grabbed her arms and pulled her onto the ground, leaving just Zane standing in the hole. However, The Sky Tribe were now working quickly and it was impossible to tell who was going to win.

"Be careful, the hole's unsturdy!" Griff warned Adam, the fourth member of their tribe to ascend, as he ran quickly up the hill and clambered onto the beach. He had been watching the hill, and every few seconds sand sprinkled down from it and he was worried that any second it would completely collapse. Adam reached the top, leaving just him.

"Come on guys, we still have a chance!" Jayna exclaimed, clapping her hands hopefully as Scar climbed up the hole for a second time. However, nobody on the tribe, not even Jayna, had the slightest bit of hope that they could succeed in the reward challenge.

Griff ran up the hill of sand, but as soon as he reached the top it completely collapsed and he fell woth a scream. Luckily, however, Hudson and Adam managed to grab his arms and yank him to the top. He fell on the beach, panting heavily, but he knew he couldn't stop for a second and he scrambled to his feet to see Zane reaching the top of the hole also.

The Sky and Sand Tribes shared glances of determination before all ten of them began rushing for the mats, with the people talented at running and those who were slower clearly being shown in the short race.

"Adam, Gabby, Arianna, Zane, Kevin..." Chris read off the contestants as they stepped onto their mats. Meanwhile, the members of the Serenity Tribe desperately clambered up the walls of the hole even though they knew it was to no avail. "Rebekah, Griff, Brooke...only Hudson and Sasha remain! Who will make it to their tribe mat first and secure the fishing rods?!"

Hudson and Sasha, the slowest members of their tribes, ran as fast as they could while their tribe members waited in nervous anticipation, shouting out encouragement while also eyeing up the fishing rods hopefully. One of them reached their mat just inches ahead of their opponent, and that person was Hudson from the Sky Tribe.

As soon as both of his feet landed on the mat, Arianna quickly and vigorously shok the bell, signifying their victory. The five members of the Sky Tribe erupted into loud, ecstatic cheers and began hugging each other and high-fiving, their motivation back after it disappeared when they lost in the previous day's immunity challenge.

The Sand Tribe sighed sadly but congratulated Sasha anyway, who was feeling incredibly guilty and was struggling not to cry. The Serenity Tribe, even though they expected it, were still despondent when they heard the bell.

"Congratulations, Sky Tribe! You have won the fishing rods and bait, which will be waiting for you in your camp when you return!" Chris announced, and the five members shared excited grins. Chris turned to the Sand and Serenity Tribes, and his tone went sombre. "Sand and Serenity Tribes, you will be returning to your camps with nothing. You may all go back to camp, and I'll see you tomorrow for the immunity challenge!"

After sharing short farewells, the three tribes split up and walked on their respective paths back to camp, one of them ecstatic while the other two were upset and miserable.

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar, Jayna and Miles)_**

Jayna walked out onto the beach, an amused smile on her face. Her eyes scanned the beach for Jackie with the intention of telling her the humorous story she remembered that had happened to her a few years ago. Jayna spotted her crouched down by the ocean, vigorously washing the grease out of one of their cooking pots. She began walking over to her, giggling to herself.

"Jayna!" A voice called. Upon hearing her name being called, Jayna immediately recognised it and she spun around. A flash of frustration shot through her body as she rested her eyes on Miles, who was trekking across the sandy ground towards her. Without even realising it, she found herself walking forward to meet him.

She knew she had to keep the knowledge of her knowing about Miles' lies a secret, but a sudden anger took over her and she couldn't help growling in anger and giving Miles a hard shove, causing him to stumble backwards with a gasp of surprise, his voice getting caught in his throat. He steadied himself and the two stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"Jayna, are you okay?" Miles asked, completely shocked as to why she suddenly pushed him. Jayna, the anger she was feeling turning her face red, began backing away, glaring at Miles with nothing but hatred in her eyes.

"Stay away from me, you no good disgusting liar!" Jayna spat in fury. She felt her fists clenching and began getting worried that she wouldn't be able to control herself and she would end up hitting Miles, so she kept her distance.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Jayna." Miles said, holding out his hands, appearing to be genuine. However, Jayna willed herself not to fall for his tricks, not this time, and her eyes only narrowed further.

"Oh, just drop the act!" Jayna snapped. "Scar told me about when you approached hm and lied, claiming that I asked you for a secret alliance behind his back! I would never, ever do that! Because of that, we argued and our alliance almost ended!"

Jayna waited for Miles to reply, her hands on her hips, but he remained silent, his eyes trained on her face, so she continued, her anger spitting words of disgust.

"Then, you actually had the _audacity_ to blame it all on Oswald and say it was all his fault! Who do you think you are, Miles?!" Jayna growled, her voice raising in volume with every word she spoke. She turned around and folded her arms, her face flushing with fury. "Just get out of my sight, Miles. If I look at you one more time I might actually slap you."

It was dead silent for a few seconds, and Jayna thought for a moment that Miles left in silence, but then she heard him give a small sigh.

"Oswald really is a true threat..." Miles muttered under his breath. However, Jayna heard it and, her curiosity peaking, she turned around and eyed him suspiciously.

"What do you mean...?" She asked. Miles turned to look at the woods.

"Oswald truly must be extremely devious and cunning if one of his lies managed to send someone so out of control they despised the person the lie was aimed at..." Miles spoke ominously, and every word sent a chill down Jayna's spine. He turned his head to look into her eyes. "Oswald has had it out for me ever since I first entered the camp, and I have no idea why that's the case. He's been constantly lying and manipulating everyone to get them to hate me, even going so far as to get them to lie about it too.

"This must have been the case with Scar. Jayna, I promise I never approached him and asked him to be in a secret alliance with me. It was a lie that Oswald managed to plant in his mind. I fear that if we don't eliminate him soon, he'll work on completely demolishing yours and Scar's alliance and based on what I've seen so far I think he might actually believe to pull it off with his lies. Jayna, please help me get rid of Oswald." Miles finished.

Hearing this, Jayna was completely shocked and bewildered and had no idea whatsoever what to think or who to trust. Miles, with a worried expression on his face, glanced behind him to make sure Oswald wasn't there before reducing his voice to a whisper and stepping closer to Jayna.

"Please help me, Jayna. Even though it wouldn't affect me, I don't want to see the friendship you and Scar share ruined because of Oswald and his devious work and I certainly don't want myself blamed for it. If you join me in voting for Oswald and manage to persuade anyone else, we might be able to pull it off."

With this, Miles turned around and walked away, leaving Jayna alone to think this over in silence, the humorous joke she was going to tell Jackie completely gone from her mind.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"Okay...hopefully I did enough to persuade Jayna. Oswald definitely is a huge threat, certainly the only person in the game so far to intimidate me, and I need to make sure that it's him going home whenever we lose, not me, and I'll do anything to make that happen." Miles muttered.**

 **...**

Jayna met up with Scar in their alliance clearing about fifteen minutes before the immunity challenge began. For once, Scar wasn't sitting on his branch and was instead leaning against the tree, mentally preparing himself for the immunity challenge and hoping they would win and stay away from the bonfire. He turned around to see Jayna, and immediately he noticed the dread in her eyes. Before he could ask her what the issue was, she started talking.

"We need to change our plan. If we lose, we should eliminate Oswald." Jayna said quickly. Despite not showing it on his face, Scar was extremely shocked at this proposal, and his eyes widened slightly.

"Where did this come from?" He asked, his voice still monotone, albeit with a bit of intrigue added to it. Jayna tried to think of a reason for voting for Oswald without letting her alliance member know she had been talking to Miles.

"I...I just have a bad feeling about him. Whenever I think about him it gives me the creeps!" Jayna expressed nervously. Scar eyed her, his vision never leaving her face. "I feel that in the long run he could be even worse than Miles, as Oswald's even more mysterious and it's harder to work our his motives than Miles'."

Scar remained silent, so Jayna folded her arms and narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Well, I'm voting for Oswald, and if you trus me you'd do the same." Jayna announced before turning on her hees and walking away, ending their quick conversation. Scar watched her walk away for a few seconds then started walking himself to the challenge area, thinking over her words.

 **Confessional: Charles 'Scar' Hellman**

 **"Miles has been manipulating her...I can see that from a mile away. However, she does raise a good point. Oswald is a complete enigma, and enigmas are sometimes more dangerous and threatening than people who openly cause havoc. I have Miles worked out, at least, I think I do, but I know nothing about Oswald." Scar stated, staring directly into the camera.**

 **...**

Everybody in the Serenity Tribe except Miles; Oswald, Jayna, Connor, Jackie and Scar were all sitting around the campfire that had reduced to embers, floating around in the warm, light breeze. They were all ready to leave and they waited for Miles in silence, all of them feeling the tension in the camp at that moment. All five of them pretended that the reason for their silence was for preparation for the challenge, but in reality they were quiet because they were thinking over everything that had recently happened in camp and how almost nobody could be trusted.

A rustle and sandy footsteps rose to greet their ears, and all five turned to see Miles approaching, getting closer with every step. As soon as he was about five feet away, Oswald rose to his feet and held out his hand, almost as if he was attempting a gesture of peace. Everyone watched this in confusion, while Miles stared at Oswald's hand warily, with a hint of curiosity.

For a second, Miles' eyes flicked up to Oswald's face and he noticed the teenager was staring at him, as if predicting whether he was going to shake his hand, ignore it or slap it away. All of a sudden, the corners of Oswald's mouth flicked up in a suspicious smile.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck in the challenge, Miles, and that I hope we don't lose. I'd hate to see any of you leave; I've grown close to you all." Oswald spoke with what appeared to be icy sincerity that dug itself into Miles' brain. Miles glanced at the other four members of the tribe; they were all staring at him, wondering what he was going to do.

Not wanting to make the tension obvious, Miles relented and held out his hand, and the two shook firmly, all while staring into each other's eyes and noticing many different emotions swirling inside; hate, suspicion, anger, confusion, but the most prominent was the only positive one; respect. Both, no matter what they had done behind each other's backs, had respect for the other.

"Good luck, Oswald." Miles said quietly.

After a few seconds, the two stepped away from each other and began walking on the pathway that led away from their camp, to the challenge area. The other four followed, and despite all the worry and anticipation for the challenge there was one thought on everyone's minds as they walked behind Oswald and Miles; only one of them would be returning to camp the next time they lost an immunity challenge.

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Hudson, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Adam stood alone in a small clearing, like he preferred it. However, his mind was far from relaxed and he let out a smal sigh of worry as he thought about the day before when he gave Arianna his immunity idol, and he was thinking about whether it was worth it or not to give away his only secure method of safety to someone who was less than trustworthy and likely wouldn't do the same to him.

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"Ugh, why did I do it?! Arianna is so mysterious, and has shown her capabilities of slyness and manipulation multiple times! Why did I ever think I could trust her? Yesterday, she could have been eliminated and gone, which means I wouldn't have to worry about her betraying me and I would still have my idol! I guess I just did it...because I thought she would be my friend..." Adam muttered, his tone starting angry and ending solemn. "Ugh! Why am I such an idiot?!"**

 **...**

Just as he was thinking it over and how the choice could possibly benefit him, he heard the crunching of leaves and he spun around to see Arianna herself walking towards him with a scowl on her face and her arms folded. Adam looked at her, confused.

"How did you find me?" He asked, having purposely gone so far into the woods because he wanted some alone time and didn't want anybody to talk to him. Arianna scoffed slightly and glared at him.

"Well, it took me a good twenty minutes. I searched the entire camp, and now everybody probably thinks I'm weird!" Arianna snapped in an irritated fashion, her eyes piercing through Adam's face. He couldn't help smirking slightly.

"Okay then. _Why_ did you want to find me?" Adam adjusted his question, amused at her frustration. However, his fun vanished when he noticed Arianna's expression turn serious.

"It's Griff and Hudson. Despite their happy-go-lucky, careless attitudes, they're actually quite the sneaky pair! They've been doing some very sly things ever since Dale was eliminated yesterday, and until now it's gone completely under our noses." Arianna explained. Adam's eyebrows rose in curiosity.

"Tell me more." He said, intrigued. Arianna looked up at the sky as she recalled what she had eavesdropped on from Griff and Dale.

"While Brooke was away from us, Griff went over to her and did anything he could to break her loyalty with us. He fed her lies, manipulated her, and practically did everything he could to try and get her on his and Hudson's side, all while we had no clue it was happening. He was even spreading dirt on the two of us!" Arianna exclaimed.

Adam gasped, surprised at this, as he thought that Griff would never do anything sneaky or manipulative even when pushed to the edge. He felt himself beginning to get nervous.

"Thankfully, Brooke had the sense to refuse and stay loyal, at least for the time being." Arianna said, which calmed Adam down slightly. She rose her hand to her face and tapped her lip softly as she thought. "But, irritatingly, Griff and Hudson haven't given up, and they probably won't until Brooke finally agrees which may not be long."

"So we have to confront Brooke and state our case, and make sure it's more promising than whatever Griff and Hudson are spouting." Adam said, catching onto what Arianna was inferring. The girl gave a small nod. "That way, Brooke will stay loyal to us and we won't lose majority."

"We should talk to her as soon as possible. When I left to search for you, Brooke was sitting alone by the campfire. If we go quick we may be able to get there before she leaves or before Griff and Hudson get to her." Arianna explained. Before Adam even approved, she had already started walking out of the clearing, determined to reach Brooke and make sure she wasn't thinking about betraying her and Adam.

...

Arianna stalked onto the Sky Tribe's beach like a lion searching silently for its prey, with Adam close behind, and fortunately for the two of them Brooke was in the same place she was at when Arianna departed the camp in search of Adam, looking quite bored as she carefully packed away their new fishing poles into their storage box.

The two looked around quickly, scanning the camp, and they noticed with relief that Hudson and Griff were nowhere to be found. The two walked over to their alliance member who was now staring into the crackling flames of the fire as if she was watching a movie. They sat down next to Brooke and she gave them a smile, however there was clearly a hint of nerves in the silent greeting she gave them.

"Are you okay?" Arianna asked, trying her hardest to sound kind and keep her suspicions securely locked away from Brooke's eyes.

"I'm feeling fine...I'm just a bit nervous about the immunity challenge, that's all. I'm the only contestant still in the game yet to win one...and I'm worried I'll be eliminated before I do." Brooke expressed her genuine fears. Arianna softly placed her hand on her shoulder, and the two locked eyes.

"Try not to worry about it, okay?" Arianna said, hoping to make her feel better, at the very least attempting to get Brooke to trust her more. She then smirked slightly. "Besides, I have a good feeling we're going to win this one. We already have a streak going after the reward challenge!"

"Thank you, Arianna." Brooke said with a smile, feeling slightly better about the situation. Wanting to talk about the more important matters before Griff and Hudson arrived, Adam stepped forward.

"But just in case we do lose the immunity challenge, we need to be sure of a certain plan that'll make sure all three of us get through the elimination and either Hudson or Griff is voted off. We have to be sure that no loyalties are wavering." Adam said firmly. Brooke felt nervous at the last sentence, but she managed not to let it show on her face. However, before she could reply, Arianna jumped in.

"Basically, Hudson and Griff have approached me, asking me to join their aliance, and they also did it with Adam. They know their games are up, and they're trying an extremely risky method which is bound to fail." Arianna said, folding her arms and sighing slightly as she looked out at the sea, lying to Brooke's face. However, Brooke sucked it all up and she gasped in shock, surprised at this new information. "So, we've estimated that they've also asked you, and if they haven't they will soon."

"...They did. They've already asked me." Brooke revealed. Arianna sighed once again, as if she was disappointed about something.

"After Dale was eliminated, their minds must be all over the place. They're no longer thinking properly, which is quite saddening to see." Arianna muttered, a hint of sadness in her voice, however this was fake.

"They must be flat-out stupid if they believed we wouldn't ask each other if Hudson and Griff approached them. It's a ridiculous strategy, and frankly I'll be happy to see them go because of it." Adam spat in anger, growling, joining in on Arianna's lie to make it more believable. Luckily for them, Brooke had completely fallen for the trick.

"What should we do?" She asked nervously.

"No matter what, don't fall for Hudson and Griff's tricks. They'll be spouting lie after lie to try and get you on their side, and you mustn't believe a word they claim. They don't mean any of it, and there's no doubt in my mind that they're using you for your vote and nothing else. Neither of them are to be trusted." Arianna spoke darkly, looking into Brooke's eyes and causing her to feel nervous as she realised how vital the situation was.

"As long as the three of us stick together, we should be fine." Adam said firmly, and Brooke gave a small, worrysome nod.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"Come on Brooke, come on Brooke, no more mistakes! All you have to do is stay loyal to Adam and Arianna and you're guaranteed to make it to the merge, even if they're both a little creepy." Brooke said as she nervously sat in the confessional. "Just don't let Hudson and Griff get under your skin."**

 **...**

The two targets of the alliance's conversation, Griff and Hudson, were sitting silently in the shelter, neither of them particularly feeling like talking at that moment as they were still upset about Dale's elimination and nervous for the immunity challenge, as if they lost they were almost certain Brooke would stick with her alliance and one of them would be voted out.

Deciding to attempt to kick up their spirits, Griff clapped his hands together, attracting Hudson's attention.

"Okay, that's enough! No more feeling nervous, 'cause if we do we're bound to lose the challenge from shaking in fear too much! We're much more likely to win if we're confident." Griff exclaimed, giving Hudson a toothy grin which he unfortunately didn't return. Griff's friend stood up and sighed.

"I know...and I'm trying to be, Griff, honestly, but I just feel so demotivated after Dale's elimination and I can't stop thinking about the fact that if we lose one of us could be going, leaving the other alone with the alliance." Hudson said, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. He hid his face from Griff. "To tell the truth, I think I've lost all hope."

"Did you not hear me? We have to be hopeful!" Griff demanded assertively, spinning Hudson around to face him and clapping his hands on his shoulders. "No more pessimism!"

"What's even our plan, anyway, if our tribe does win immunity? As far as I can see, by winning we're just delaying the inevitable." Hudson spoke with another sigh, his voice pained albeit monotone. Griff's eyes creased slightly; since when did his friend become so worrysome and sad?

"All we can hope for, unfortunately, is for Brooke to see sense and join our side, which I think we might be able to pull off. Besides, if we win we'll, at the very least, have an extra two days to try to persuade her." Griff said, before smiling again. "We have to look on the bright side, Hudson; it may be the only thing stopping us from giving up and letting ourselves be eliminated."

"O...okay." Hudson said quietly, nodding his head slowly, stammering as he talked. "I'll try my hardest to win the challenge."

"I will too. I'm certain we can do it." Griff said in determination, then a sad smile rose to his lips. "But if it doesn't work out, and you or I is eliminated, we won't show any weakness. We'll leave with our heads held up high."

...

Brooke sat by the campfire alone, feeling extremely worried and nervous as she rubbed her temples slowly in a circular motion in an attempt to relax her nerves. However, it didn't work and she let out a groan.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"I've been thinking the entire situation over, and...is working with Arianna and Adam really the best for me? Every second I spend with them I just feel like I'm doing something awful...I don't want this game to change me. And Hudson and Griff, they're both so kind...is it right to choose the bad people over the good people just because I'm tied to the bad people? I don't know what to do..." Brooke murmured to herself worriedly, her body tingling in fear. "Why do I feel like...if I stick with Arianna and Adam it'll fly back in my face? But who knows what Hudson and Griff are truly like? Like Arianna and Adam said, they've been asking everyone for an alliance...but what if they were lying? Argh, I don't know!"**

 **...**

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

The friendship duo of Ingrid and Sasha sat together on the beach by the slowly returning tide in a comfortable silence, both of them enjoying each other's quiet company. Sasha softly leaned into Ingrid's shoulder, and a smile spread across her lips as she realised that for the first time ever since she had first stepped onto the island, she felt relaxed and at peace.

"I love this time of day." Sasha voiced timidly as she sighed happily. "When the sun starts to set and the entire world is draped in orange. It's just so beautiful."

"I think so too, it's my favourite time of day." Ingrid nodded in agreement. "I wish it could last forever."

At this, Sasha nervously glanced over at the campfire where the other four members of their tribe; Zane, Gabby, Rebekah and Kevin sat, discussing something quietly.

"It may not last much longer if our tribe loses and one of us is eliminated." Sasha mumbled, with a tone of worry in her voice that Ingrid detected immediately. As Sasha expressed her fears, the gentle sound of the crashing waves pleasingly entered their ears. Ingrid glanced over at the majority alliance as well, and gently placed her hand on Sasha's knee to comfort her.

"Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about happier things. I don't want to ruin the sunset." Ingrid said with a forced smile on her face. Sasha stared at her for a few moments before slowly nodding and she gave a small smile back. Ingrid turned back to the sea, and her expression turned confused. "You know Sasha, even though we're best friends and we've been together for a week I still know nothing about your home life."

Sasha's eyes widened and panic ploughed into her like a ten tonne truck as she worriedly tried to think of something to change the topic with.

"I...um...you...I-" Sasha began stuttering feverently, and she soon found that she was unable to stop. Hot tears stung her eyes but she managed to blink them away, all while Ingrid stared at her, waiting for an answer.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"Why does Ingrid want to know about my past so much? I'm really worried that if I tell her...what I used to be...and how much I changed...that she'd hate me and never talk to me again! I can't tell her!" Sasha said, tears forming in her eyes. Then, after a few moments, she took a deep breath and calmed down and her tone became more sombre. "It's okay...I'll just make something up. I hate lying to her, but I can't risk telling her and then her not wanting to be friends with me anymore."**

 **...**

"I don't...I-I mean...well..." Sasha continued to stutter and stammer, and no matter how hard she tried she was unable to stop herself. However, in a few more moments she managed to regain her composure and she slowly began talking, making sure her gaze was averted from Ingrid's eyes. "Well, my life r-really isn't that exciting or interesting. Quite boring, really, t-that's why I haven't talked about it...the only thing I can really remember is that I got interested in p-programming at a young age, but you probably don't care...sorry for bringing it up."

"No, no, I think it's really interesting! We should talk about it more some other time." Ingrid said kindly with a smile. However, as soon as she finished her sentence she noticed Sasha's troubled expression and she felt slightly worried. "Sasha, are you hiding anything from me?"

"No." Sasha replied extremely quickly, as if she predicted what Ingrid was going to say before the words even left her lips. With a feeling of dread, she realised she was just digging herself a deeper grave and she looked quickly at the sand, her cheeks flushing red in embarrassment.

Ingrid gently placed her hand on Sasha's leg, and the timid girl couldn't help lifting her head to meet her gaze.

"Sasha, you can tell me anything. I promise I will never judge you." Ingrid spoke slowly and supportively, but Sasha was getting more and more stressed with every passing second and she didn't listen to a thing she said. "Is there anythimg you want to get off your chest?"

"No! Just leave me alone!" Sasha exclaimed with a cry, but her words got caught in her throat and they came out as a garbled mess. She scrambled to her feet and glared at Ingrid with her tear-stained eyes, when she had a creeping feeling that somebody was watching her. She turned her head to the side to see everyone around the campfire also staring at her, shock on their faces.

Feeling embarrassed, ashamed and upset, Sasha spun on her heels and made a dash towards the woods, soon disappearing amidst the bushes. Ingrid watched her leave, and suddenly felt extremely guilty.

 **Confessional: Ingrid Sanders**

 **"Oh no...what have I done wrong? Maybe I was too pressing...sometimes, because I've spent so much time with her now, I forget how sensitive Sasha is. I hope I haven't upset her...but I know there's something she's hiding from me. But what?" Ingrid asked, feeling concerned and curious but not wanting to hurt her friend further.**

 **...**

Elsewhere in the camp, by the fire, the alliance of four were all sitting together. They were discussing the future of their alliance before they heard a sudden cry and turned to see Sasha running away from Ingrid and breaking into the woods. Despite their primary shock, they soon got over it and returned to their business. All except Rebekah.

She had watched the two ever since Sasha had ran away, but she was too far a distance from them to catch their conversation. A wave of guilt suddenly crashed over her and she softly touched her arm as she realised that she didn't want to vote for either of the two to be removed from the competition. She decided to voice her opinion, hoping her tribe would understand and somehow be able to compromise in some way.

"I don't want to eliminate either of them." Rebekah whispered quietly, her eyes on the crackling, dancing flames of the red-hot fire. An awkward silence emanated as the three members of her alliance took this into account.

"Rebekah, I'm sorry but if the four of us want to stay in the game and bring our entire alliance into the merge we'll have to decide who to vote for eventually. It's simply a matter of who first." Kevin said. Rebekah looked at him and gave a small nod. Gabby suddenly stood up, supposedly to garner everyone's attention.

"If they lose, we should definitely get rid of Ingrid before Sasha." She voiced.

"Why?" Rebekah asked.

"Really? I'm surprised you haven't noticed." Gabby said, eyeing her up slightly. Rebekah ignored the snarky comment, and made sure no distaste was shown on her face despite her being slighty annoyed. "Ingrid is physically stronger and faster than Sasha by a feat, and this makes her a huge threat in the individual immunity challenges if she were to reach the merge. Can you really imagine Sasha winning immunity over anybody else on the island?

"Ingrid's also way more of a social threat. She's confident in the way she speaks, and she's quite cunning and I can also see her being quite persuasive in the future, which could potentially ruin us. She'd be able to form and join alliances a lot easier than Sasha, who stutters and cries with every word she speaks." Gabby finished off, and all three of her alliance members found themselves realising that the football player had a point. Ingrid would be incredibly more dangerous, while Sasha's only threatening feature would be her ability to vote.

"I have to agree with Gabby. Ingrid is the only thing holding Sasha up and preventing her from breaking down and crying; she's her only friend. If we eliminated her, the likelihood is she would be broken and it would make it easier to eliminate her." Zane theorised. Rebekah gasped slightly, and she couldn't help feeling irriated at this proposition.

"That's just plain cruel! I could never do it; I'd feel way too guilty." Rebekah blatantly refused, folding her arms and looking away from Zane. As she said this, a better plan began formulating in her mind and she looked at her alliance, her eyes glimmering hopefully. "How about, after we eliminate Ingrid, instead of voting out Sasha we recruit her imstead? That way, we'd have larger numbers, more votes and also be stronger going into the merge."

"That's not a good idea, Rebekah." Zane stated firmly, giving Rebekah a look that signified he was right and he didn't want to be competed with. Rebekah felt a spark of irritation, but once again she managed to keep it hidden. "There's no telling when our team is going to lose, and it would hurt Sasha less if we eliminated her as soon as possible rather than dragging her into our alliance, pretending we care about her and then stabbing her in the back at the end of it."

"Rebekah, if you want to win this competition you'll have to learn to focus less on feelings and regret and more on the thing that'll get you further in the game, even if it's looked down upon or you think it's cruel. In this case, getting rid of both Sasha and Ingrid is a necessity." Gabby instructed, joining Zane's bandwagon. Knowing she was outnumbered, and realising Kevin had no intention of joining in, Rebekah resorted to nodding regretfully.

"You two seem to have warmed up to each other quicker than I thought you would." Kevin suddenly spoke, surprising the other three as he hadn't yet said a word. At first, they were confused, before they realised his eyes were trained on Zane and Gabby, suspicion in his eyes. "Strange, considering how only yesterday you hated each other."

"Well, I need someone, Kevin. I've been lonely ever since you and Rebekah have been all over each other." Zane spat venomously, suddenly feeling extremely angry with the accusation. Gabby's eyes widened slightly, and she scanned the faces of Rebekah and Kevin to see dread plastered on them. The two shared a glance, before Kevin rose to his feet.

"T-there's nothing going on between us!" Kevin objected, stammering. He looked at Rebekah then back to Zane, a defiant look on his face. "We've just become really good friends in a short time, that's all."

"Don't lie to me." Zane demanded with a furious glare, and Kevin's eyes widened in surprise. "It's obvious you two are in love, any idiot could tell! I can't believe that even after the deal we made you would still choose Rebekah over me, just because you were desperate for a girlfriend!"

"..." Kevin was utterly speechless and hurt, worrying that if he said anything his words would get caught in his throat. He looked at Zane and noticed the pure rage on his face, and he quieted his voice down to just above a whisper. "I'm not desperate for a girlfriend. I don't understand why you're being so horrible..."

"You choosing Rebekah over me just because she smiled or winked at you is, frankly, pathetic and maybe we shouldn't be in an alliance if you're swayed so easily." Zane snapped, talking without thinking. Kevin's eyes narrowed as he began to get angry.

"Maybe we shouldn't." He growled, leaning in close to Zane's face before stomping away angrily. Rebekah, with an uncertain look on her face, glanced quickly at Zane before standing up and following Kevin into the woods.

Zane fell silent for a moment, his body shaking in anger, before he slowly turned his head to Gabby.

"You were right after all." Hu mumbled. Gabby didn't reply, but as soon as he looked away she smirked deviously, ecstatic that her plan had succeeded.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"I can't believe this! We were deciding who we were gonna eliminate and then all of a sudden I'm worried again! If Zane and Kevin keep this argument up our games may be in the balance..." Rebekah mumbled worriedly.**

 **...**

Sasha leaned against an old oak tree in the middle of the woods, the strong trunk supporting her frail body. She vigorously wiped her eyes with her hands, hoping the tears would stop but they kept running like an abandoned showerhead's water. She sobbed loudly, struggling to breate through her wails.

"Why am I like this? Why can't I just tell her the truth?! Of who I used to be?!" Sasha snaped at herself angrily through her cries. "Now Ingrid probably hates me...and she'll never want to talk to me again!"

"Sasha?" A voice said after a short gasp of shock, which caused Sasha to stiffen for a moment before slowly turning around to see Rebekah and Kevin, looking at her sympathetically, while also surprised. The voice, which belonged to Rebekah, continued talking as she noticed Sasha had been crying. "Are you okay?"

"I...I..." Sasha tried to talk but she couldn't and she ended up bursting into tears, wailing loudly. Rebekah rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her, while Kevin looked at her with a sad expression on his face. It remained like this for the next few minutes, until Sasha finally began to calm down from her hyperventilation.

"Sasha, what made you so upset?" Rebekah asked firmly, wanting to know who or what had caused Sasha to react so badly. Sasha thought for a moment, not wanting to be a snitch on Ingrid, but she eventually decided to be honest with Rebekah.

"Ingrid...she was constantly asking me questions that I didn't want to answer." She mumbled in reply. A few seconds after she spoke, her eyes widened in shock as she realised that what she said made it appear that she was angry at Ingrid, which wasn't the case. "Wait, no no-"

"Rebekah and I are sort of in the same position with Zane right now. He got angry at us for no reason!" Kevin exclaimed, anger rushing into him, interrupting Sasha before she could justify herself and reveal that she wasn't actually angry at Ingrid. Kevin folded his arms and glared at a tree, as if he was looking at Zane, ready to attack him. "He thinks he's stronger than me. He thinks he can boss me around, and he can't!"

"..." Sasha didn't know what happened to her at that moment, what changed in her mind, but she suddenly had a boost of confidence and she felt it surging through her head, demanding her to say what she was thinking. Before she could think logically, she blurted it out. "Why don't the three of us form a secret alliance?"

Kevin and Rebekah stared at her, not sure if they heard the timid, quiet, nervous girl correctly. They exchanged a glance; both of them were absolutely speechless in shock. After flicking her eyes between the two for a few moments, waiting for someome to speak, she realised nobody had any intention to and thus she continued.

"If we form an alliance, we can eliminate everyone who thinks they can control us and prove to them we're not as weak as they think we are!" Sasha cried with a sudden smile on her face, imagining everybody who thought she was pathetic with shock on their faces as it was revealed they had the most votes.

"I'm not sure..." Rebekah said, indecisive. Sasha loked at her.

"None of the other three will ever expect us to align secretly; it would be the biggest shock of their lives! As long as we don't reveal it, we could take complete control of this tribe." Sasha predicted, attempting to convince the uncertain Rebekah of her ideals.

Hearing this, Kevin and Rebekah realised it was actually quite a clever plan, and the two looked at each other, realising both of them would be guaranteed to reach the merge if they worked with Sasha. They both turned to Sasha at the same time and nodded in agreement. Sasha smiled at this, trying her hardest to ignore the small pang of regret she had for Ingrid deep down.

"Who should we eliminate first?" Kevin asked, wanting to get straight to business.

As son as the other two heard this, the three of them fell into an uncomfortable silence, exchanging awkward glances as they realised that they would be suggesting people's friends and old alliance members who they may be unwiling to vote for. All of a sudden, Rebekah's eyes widened as she thought of someone.

"Ingrid." Rebekah said, causing Sasha to gasp slightly.

"Why?" She asked.

"I've noticed something about the friendship you two hold together; Ingrid has been constantly manipulating you, Sasha, using your kindness to your advantage. She's only acting like she's friends with you because she wants you for your vote so she can have a chance in the competition! Have you not noticed this? Ingrid would throw you under the bus at any time!" Rebekah exclaimed, looking at Sasha with what appeared to be genuine honesty. "I hate seeing you be used like this, it's unfair."

"I have to agree." Kevin said with a nod as he folded his arms. Sasha looked between the both of them, beginning to feel upset and nervous again.

"Are...are you sure? I thought Ingrid liked me..." Sasha mumbled quietly. However, all of a sudden, while she was thinking this over, her mind flashed back to a moment on the very first day of the competition; Sasha had been walking along quietly, when she accidentally nudged Ingrid and the girl absolutely blew off at her.

With a start, Sasha realised that Kevin and Rebekah were right. Ingrid _had_ been manipulating her, and she hadn't seen it. She would bemuch better off without her.

She gave a hesitant nod while biting her lip nervously. She agreed to vote for Ingrid.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"Have I made the right decision? If Ingrid found out about this...no, Sasha, Rebekah's right. She's been manipulating you this entire time. You're better off without her. Oh...but I can't help feeling guilty..." Sasha whispered to herself, her voice squeaking with nerves.**

 **...**

Rebekah smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Well, it's settled. If we lose, we vote for Ingrid. I really think this alliance is going to work out." Rebekah said hopefully, before starting to walk away with Kevin, waving to Sasha. "See you later Sasha!"

As soon as they were a distance away from Sasha and they could no longer see her, Kevin grabbed her hand. Rebekah turned around to look at him, and was surprised to see him looking at her suspiciously.

"Why were you so persistent on eliminating Ingrid? To tell the truth, I haven't seen any signs of her manipulating Sasha; they seem to be good friends." Kevin said. Rebekah frowned slightly and looked away at the trees for a moment, before taking a deep breath and looking into Kevin's eyes.

"Don't hate me." She said nervously.

"What...? What have you done?" Kevin asked, beginning to get fearful.

"I made it up! I made up Ingrid manipulating Sasha so she would stick with us and vote for her. The true reason I want to vote for her is because we could stick woth our original alliance and we wouldn't think we were betraying them, and also that way it would lower Sasha's defences and she wouldn't want to vote for us." Rebekah spoke quickly, revealing her traitorous, sly technique which contradicted her usually nice, caring personality. Kevin gasped in shock. "I'm sorry, I know it's bad, but I just personally wouldn't feel safe working in an alliance with Sasha alone. I would much rather stay with Gabby and Zane in an alliance; there's more of them, they're cleverer and they're stronger. It pains me to say, but Sasha's only good for a vote and that's not helpful in an alliance."

"...I feel bad for Sasha, and I don't want to do it, but I have to admit it is a clever plan. I'll go along with it, but this has to stay absolutely top secret. If we tell anyone, we're being voted off the next time we lose." Kevin said, and Rebekah smiled, relieved that he was staying by her side. "But where did this all come from?"

Rebekah turned away for a moment, then looked back at him.

"Gabby was right. I've been thinking about what she said earlier, and if I want to win this competition I have to learn to be cleverer and firmer, and focus less on my emotions." Rebekah said, speaking softly and slowly. "I was almost eliminated second because my head wasn't in the game, but I was lucky. From now on, I need to make decisions with my mind rather than my heart."

Kevin gazed at her in silent respect, then nodded to her.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"It pains me to have to do this to Sasha, but based on past experiences I know I can't just stand and do nothing. By doing just that, I could've been eliminated but thankfully Miles and Brooke chose Olivia over me. I don't know why, but it kept me in the game and I want to keep it that way." Rebekah said, almost sternly, as she looked directly into the camera. "I need to take control of this game if I want to win."**

 **...**

 **Day 8**

 **Immunity Challenge**

The three tribes nervously filed into the challenge area, all seventeen of them hoping that they would have the skills necessary to win immunity for their team. As soon as they entered, they noticed with a start that the hole had been filled in extremely quickly and it looked as if it never existed in the first place. Instead, the white cirlce had returned, and Chris stood i the centre of it, grinning, with a sealed wooden box behind him. When everyone settled, he began.

"Welcome, everybody, to your next immunity challenge, arguably the most vital part of the entire competition as it could secure your safety into the next episode and extend your life on the island for an extra two days guaranteed. Sand and Serenity Tribe, you are yet to lose. Will you continue your streak or lose your first challenge? Sky Tribe, you better hope you don't lose or else you'll be severely outnumbered compared to everyone else!" Chris said ominously. He then grinned suspiciously. "However, I have a surprise for all of you.

"Instead of just one tribe going to tribal council, TWO will, leaving only one tribe with guaranteed safety!" Chris announced loudly, causing gasps of extreme shock to emanate from around the tribes. With the pressure truly on them now, everyone exchanged nervous albeit determined glances. "That's right! That also means that not only one, but two contestants will be leaving the competition tonight! Now, would you all like to hear what you have to do?"

Some of the contestants cheered in consent, while others nodded, while some of the less social ones didn't answer at all and instead stared silently at Chris, waiting for him to elaborate. At this, Chris turned around, leapt over the box and spun back around before giving it a hard kick, causing it to topple over and break open, revealing fifteen objects which made the contestants gape as they began realising what they would have to do.

Water guns.

Chris picked one up and aimed it at everyone, slowly making his way through everyone before reaching the end and letting the gun hang loosely by his side.

"Five people from each tribe will have to stand inside the circle, and shoot each other with the water guns. If you're hit by any form of water, even a drop, you are eliminated from the challenge and you must sit on one of the benches. The last tribe remaining will win immunity, while the two losers will head to the bonfire where they will eliminate one of their members!" Chris announced excitedly. "Now, one member from the Sand and Serenity Tribes must sit out, but this cannot be Ingrid or Jackie. Who will it be?"

After another short discussion, like last time the tribes decided quickly and they chose Sasha from the Sand Tribe and Jayna from the Serenity Tribe to sit out. Both sat down on their tribe's bench, relieved that they wouldn't have to get wet, and began cheering motivation for their team. The fifteen competing players all stepped into the circle, determination running through their veins, and they all picked up a water gun.

"Start on the claxon!" Chris announced. It was tense and silent for a few seconds as everyone waited, their water guns at the ready, when suddenly the claxon went off, shocking many of the players but they all managed to regain their composure.

"Guys, stick together and stand in a star formation! That way, we'll be able to see everyone who comes our way! We cannot lose this challenge!" Arianna ordered quickly, turning to look at them as she held her water gun with both hands. The four members of her tribe gave a quick nod and they leapt into action.

While the Sand Tribe attempted to form a similar strategy, Scar silently sneaked up on them, surprising his tribe by making absolutely no sound. They watched in anticipation as, while nobody was looking, Scar held up his gun, aimed it at Kevin and managed to blast him square in the back with the water. At this, everyone on the Sand Tribe turned to face Scar while Kevin walked, dejected, to the bench to join Sasha.

In an instant, Scar leapt into action, running across the ground quickly, zigzagging as he went in an attempt to escape the Sand Tribe's onslaught. Shocking everybody, even though he wasn't looking Scar managed to dodge every single blast of water by twisting his body into various positions and leaping into the air.

"Yes! Come on, Scar, you're almost back!" Jackie cheered in excitement, a wide smile on her face. Just before he reached them, Scar spun around in less than a second and shot his water gun, managing to blast Ingrid in the face with frightening precision.

As Ingrid coughed and spluttered as she desperately tried to wipe the water out of her eyes and off her face while she made her way to the bench, the temporarily victorious Serenity Tribe cheered for Scar. With a growl of frustration, Gabby, one of the last three members of her tribe competing in the challenge, let out a scream of rage and began dashing over to the Serenity Tribe, who raised up their water guns and aimed.

However, just before she could shoot a hand grabbed Gabby's and pulled her roughly backwards, safely away from the Serenity Tribe. Gabby turned around furiously to see Zane glaring at her.

"Why did you do that?! I could've hit one of them!" Gabby complained angrily, taking a quick glance behind her shoulder to see the five members of the Serenity Tribe watching her carefully.

"Yeah, you would've hit one of them, but then you were bound to be hit yourself! That would've left just Rebekah and I against four of them and five on the Sky Tribe! Think with your head, Gabby!" Zane snapped back with equally as much anger. As much as Gabby wanted to retort and start an argument, she realised that Zane was right and thus she bit her tongue.

Elsewhere, Oswald aimed at the Sky Tribe and shot, managing to hit both Griff and Brooke with one blast of water. With a scream, Arianna shouted for them to abandon the star method as it wasn't doing them any good, and the three scattered but not before Adam shot Oswald back in revenge.

"Okay guys, we can do this, we just have to stay focused." Miles said, attempting to motivate his team of four. Scar, Jackie and Connor all looked at him and even though they couldn't trust him as far as they could throw him, they knew he was right and they nodded, willing themselves to win the challenge.

"Look out!" Jackie suddenly screamed, throwing her hands to her face and accidentally dropping her water gun which landed on the ground, spraying up a cloud of sand which covered their legs. Miles turned to see what she was talking about and noticed a blast of water flying towards his head.

In a second's time he managed to quickly duck, avoiding the blast, then stood back up again and aimed his gun at the culprit, Arianna, shooting her quickly before she could even blink. As she threw her gun to the ground and stalked off, muttering something to herself, Miles looked at Jackie and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you." He whispered. Jackie nodded to him and smiled back.

"After the first five minutes of the challenge, the Serenity Tribe are in the lead with four members out of five still having not been hit by any water! The Sand Tribe are in second with three, and the Sky Tribe are currently in dead last with only Hudson and Adam still in the running! Can they bring it back?" Chris said, thrilled, as he sat atop a lifeguard chair, watching the challenge take place from above.

Realising they were losing, Hudson, who's last remaining teammate was Adam, knew he had to take a chance that could possibly mean their success. If he didn't, they were almost certain they would lose. Taking a deep breath, Hudson turned and slowly began walking over to the Sand Tribe, his gun aimed at the floor. Adam's eyes widened as he noticed this.

"Hudson, what are you doing?! Come back, you're going to ruin it for all of us!" Adam snapped furiously, however Hudson blatantly ignored him and continued walking. Out of the corner of his eye, Adam noticed the Serenity Tribe staring at him and, feeling creeped out, Adam decided to follow his team member so he wouldn't be alone.

"Get back." Zane warned with icy honesty in his voice as Hudson approached wth Adam close behind. Hearing this, Rebekah and Gabby lost their interest with the Serenity Tribe and ran to aid Zane, lifting their water guns up and aiming them at Hudson. In a split second, Hudson dropped his gun, causing Zane to raise an eyebrow in confused curiosity. "What are you doing?"

"I want to make you an offer." Hudson said with a small smile on his face. Adam arrived by Hudson and, realising his plan, he also dropped his gun. "A temporary alliance between tribes, to get rid of the Serenity Tribe. Then, it's a free-for-all. You in?"

Zane, Rebekah and Gabby exchanged glances for a few moments before nodding to Hudson, realising it was their best bet. The five, now outnumbering the Serenity Tribe with their combined members, began running towards the Serenity Tribe, their guns at the ready.

"Get ready, guys!" Connor said nervously, his voice cracking with a mix of fear and excitement. As the Serenity Tribe also began running towards the alliance, hopeful thoughts ran through everyone's heads as they all realised that nobody would go easy; everyone wanted to win immunity for their tribe.

Then, in an instant, it became a mass of water blasting, shrieks of horror and yells of warning. Miles and Zane both shot at each other; however, the blasts hit each other at the same time and therefore made barely any distance. As Miles desperately aimed at Zane, the latter rammed into his shoulder, causing the former to stumble madly but regain his balance. However, it was too late to aim again as Zane had dropped his gun and began wrestling with Miles to get it away from him, both of them gritting their teeth as they tried their hardest to overpower the other.

"Come on, Miles! You can do it!" Jackie yelled out motivation as she ducked underneath a water blast from Rebekah and retaliated. However, her didge was avoided too.

As soon as Zane made a tug to the left, Miles also pushed to the left, changing his tactics, causing Zane to shout out in shock as he fell to the ground, his gun landing a few feet away from him. Miles made a mad dash to grab it and picked it up, aiming it at Zane. However, just before he could pull the trigger and release a barrel of water onto him, he was suddenly hot in the shoulder.

Relieved, Zane scrambled to his feet, expecting his saviour to be Rebekah or Gabby, but his eyes widened and he couldn't help gasping when he saw that it was Hudson who saved him; he was truly sticking with their temporary alliance.

"Thank you." Zane mouthed silently to Hudson, who nodded, a smile on his face.

"Just give up!" Rebekah cried as she leapt onto the floor to avoid a shot from Jackie, landing face-down in the sand. She sat up and noticed Jackie aiming her water gun at her. Reacting quickly, Rebekah shuffled away from the shot then managed to blast Jackie in the face, eliminating her from the challenge. "Finally!"

While Gabby was aiming her water gun at Hudson, with the intention of betraying him, she suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of her right leg and felt it buckle, crying out as she hit the ground. She spun around quickly to see the culprit; Scar. She grabed her gun and they both blasted water at the exact same time, resulting in them both being eliminated. They walked off to their benches, causing the circle to be filled with even fewer contestants.

"With that exciting double blast, only five contestants remain, and the Serenity Tribe are now falling behind!" Chris shouted into a megaphone, hopping up and down in his seat in pure excitement.

"Geez!" Connor cried out, dropping to the floor and rolling to the side to dodge a barrage of water from Adam's gun. Breaking out of the roll onto one knee, he aimed carefully and managed to hit both Adam and Hudson at the same time, who were standing close to each other. "Yes!"

However, he didn't realise the predicament he was in, and it was too late by the time he noticed Rebekah and Zane, on opposite sides of the arena, aiming their water guns at him. Making a last ditch effort, Connor blasted Zane out of the game but before he could even try to dodge he was hit in the face by water from Rebekah's pistol, sending him flying to the ground and sighing in utter exhaustion and disappointment.

Rebekah lowered her gun for a moment, looking at Connor, when pure joy surged into her and she droped her gun, jumping up and down in happiness and cheering. The five members of the Sand Tribe who were sitting on their bench leapt up, relieved and ecstatic, and ran over to Rebekah to congratulate her, all six of them extremely happy that they were the only tribe not going to the bonfire that night. Meanwhile, the Sky Tribe and Serenity Tribe stayed quiet, all of them nervous and worried as they realised that they could possibly be eliminated that night.

"Congratulations to the Sand Tribe for winning immunity! The six of you can go back to camp, relaxed and relieved. However..." Chris' happy tone went grim as he turned to the two losing tribes. "Sky and Serenity, you lost the immunity challenge and therefore you must vote one of your members out of the competition tonight. Sky Tribe, as your tribe was out first, you will go to the bonfire first. Serenity Tribe, you will go after them."

The three tribes shared goodbyes, two of them dreading the next few hours while one was incredibly relieved, and while one began walking along the pathway back to their tribes, two started walking to the bonfire, knowing not all of them would be returning to the challenge area the next day.

...

 **The Bonfire (Sky Tribe)**

The five members of the rapidly shrinking Sky Tribe trudged miserably into the bonfire area, noticing the familiar fire and tense atmosphere, which was all too recurring for one of the members, Brooke, who was extremely upset at the fact that this was her fourth time in a row. The five sat down on their logs, silent, exchanging glances occasionally as they waited for Chris to begin, who was standing at the opposite side of the dancing, smoking flames.

"Welcome, Sky Tribe." Chris greeted, his face looking strange without a toothy grin plastered on it. "Brooke, do you think you're cursed? I've noticed that you're yet to win an immunity challenge. How do you feel?"

"Losing constantly is an awful feeling, Chris. It honestly makes me feel pathetic and useless, like it's all my fault, and I'm starting to think myself that I have a curse to tell the truth." Brooke muttered, folding her arms to try and preserve some warmth in the chilly night as she stared imto the fire. "But, at the same time, I hope dearly that this isn't my last time at the bonfire area, if you know what I mean."

"I do." Chris said with a nod, then he turned to another member of the tribe. "Griff, how and you and the tribe generally faring without Dale? Has it improved emotions, or more the camp more tense?"

"...Dale's elimination certainly revealed where allegiances lay. That's all I'm going to say." Griff said, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice, but Chris noticed it instantly. Griff glared at Adam, who ignored his gaze on purpose. Hearing what Griff said, Brooke looked at the ground in worry, still unsure on who she was going to vote for. Chris spotted her expression and became curious.

"Brooke, are you okay? You look worried." Chris pointed out. Everyone turned to look at Brooke, who looked at Chris and begam stammering as she thought of what to say. However, Arianna answered for her.

"Brooke has nothing to worry about, as long as she sticks with the plan." Arianna said, putting emphasis on the last part while smiling sweetly to Chris. Brooke gave Arianna a nervous look, then she realised her eyes were slowly trailing over to Hudson and Griff, who were looking at her hopefully.

"Well," Chris clapped his hands together. "It's time to start the voting. Adam, you may begin?"

Adam slowly stood up from his stump and began making his way down the pathway to the voting box, when the realisation hit him that he no longer had guaranteed safety. As he scribbled his target down, he hoped desperately that it wouldn't be him going home that night.

Adam went up to vote.

"First Dale, now you. The weakest links of the tribe are falling one by one."

Griff went up to vote.

"Please Brooke, please...do the right thing."

Arianna went up to vote.

"Writing your name on this piece of paper and knowing that I'm sealing your fate is just so satisfying!"

Hudson went up to vote.

"Like Griff said, if the worst case scenario becomes true, and either him or I is eliminated, we'll leave with our heads held high. I just hope it isn't the case."

Brooke went up to vote.

"...I'm sorry."

Brooke sat down, avoiding everybody's eyes as she was worried she would reveal who she voted for or at the very least hint towards it. Chris departed momentarily to retrieve the voting box, leaving the bomfire area in an icy, tense quiet, resolved only by the crackling of the fire. Soon, Chris returned and opened the box, taking the first one out and reading it aloud.

"The first vote is for Hudson." Chris announced. At this, Griff and Hudson glanced at each other as they realised who the alliance chose to vote for. They just hoped Brooke would vote with them. "The second vote is for Hudson. The third vote is for Adam."

Adam felt as if a sharp dagger was stabbed through his chest; he had been hoping that they would vote for Arianna, as at least then he would be safe no matter what. Now it was just a waiting game; who would it be? Adam or Hudson? Chris opened the next vote.

"Another vote for Adam. Two votes for Adam, two votes for Dale. No matter what, Griff, Arianna and Brooke; you two are safe, even if this last vote is for one of you. This final vote will be the decider. The fourth contestant eliminated from Total Drama: Eracy Island is..." Chris paused to create suspense. Within this short time, everyone's heartbeats pumped in their chests and blood flowed through their heads, causing them to feel light-headed. All five waited, their bodies frozen in nervous anticipation. "Hudson."

Relief washed over Adam and he turned his head to look at Arianna and Brooke, who were sitting to his right; Arianna smirked triumphantly, ecstatic that her plans were working consecutively, while Brooke mamaged a small smile but there was clearly doubt in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Griff, as soon as Hudson's name was read out, had stared at him in shock, trying his hardest to fight back the tears that were approaching from the realisation that he was now completely alone in a tribe where everyone was against him. Noticing this, Hudson quickly held out his hand, and when Griff shook it his eliminated aliance member leaned in close to his ear.

"You can beat them, Griff. I know you can. Just stay strong." Hudson said. Griff could only manage a nod, and watched in utter despair and sadness as his best friend on the island walked swiftly past Arianna and Adam, ignoring them with his head held high, but he stopped at Brooke, staring down at her. Brooke looked up to meet his gaze, as she felt that he deserved at least that. "I hope that you one day realise the mistake you made, Brooke. You may have just doomed yourself. Good luck."

With that, Hudson disappeared from sight, and the remaining four members of the Sky Tribe, especially Griff, realised how small their tribe was getting. After watching Hudson leave, Chris turned back to the four.

"Well, after this experience I hope the four of you will manage to bring the game back and win the next few immunity challenges; head back to camp, and let's all hope I won't be seeing you in the next two days to take your numbers down to three. You may go back to camp." Chris said, giving the four a small wave. As the tribe stood up to leave, Griff realised that he neded to win the mext immunity challenge, or else there was no doubt in his mind that he would be eliminated, following in his friend's footsteps.

As Arianna, Brooke, Adam and Griff walked on the torchlit pathway back to the Sky Tribe's beach, with the alliance walking ahead, Brooke couldn't help glancing behind her shoulder to see Griff walking alone, staring at the ground, and a guilty sigh escaped her lips. However, just as the thought to talk to him crossed her mind, Arianna placed her arm gently around her shoulder and led her away, leaving Griff completely alone.

 **Final Confessional: Hudson Ewing**

 **"To tell the truth, I saw this coming; and to be honest, I'm glad it was me over Griff. He's definitely a better player than me, and I hope he makes it far. I just hope that he can get Brooke on his side; I need to see the tables turned against Adam and Arianna. They need a taste of their own medicine."**

 **...**

 **The Bonfire (Serenity Tribe)**

The six members of the Serenity Tribe nervously entered the bonfire area and looked around, none of them knowing what to expect before they arrived except for Miles, who had already been involved in two eliminations prior. Once all six got settled down on a tree stump, Chris spread his arms to the side in welcome.

"Welcome, Serenity Tribe, to your first visit to the bonfire area for the majority of you. I'll quickly explain the rules, and then we'll get started." Chris said, and Oswald, Jackie, Jayna, Scar and Connor listened carefully, making sure they didn't miss any important imformation that could result in them making a mistake. "When I call your name, you must walk along the pathway to the voting box, and write the name of the person you wish to vote for on a slip of paper. Then, put it in the box and sit back down.

"I will then read out the votes, and once I've read them all out, the contestant with the most votes must leave immediately. However, if the highest voted person has an immunity idol in their possession or if somebody else uses it on them, every single one of their votes are annulled, and the person with the second highest will be eliminated. In the case there is a tie, there will be a tiebreaker if no immunity idols can be played.

"Now, let's begin. Jackie, are you feeling nervous?" Chris asked, interested in the answer. Jackie thought for a moment, then looked up at Chris, deciding on her answer.

"Even though I don't feel that I'm a target at this specific elimination, I of course feel very nervous as it is my first time here. I never thought it would be so eerie!" Jackie exclaimed, shuddering slightly. Chris gave a nod, then turned to Jayna.

"Jayna, how's life in camp? Is it relaxing? It must be if this is the first time your tribe has ever lost a challenge." Chris noted. Jayna folded her arms, looking at her campmates through the corner of her eyes.

"To be honest, Chris, there are currently a lot of mysteries floating around camp, and many secrets are being kept from anyone. I'll just voice what everyone's thinking; nobody can trust anyone, which is really quick upsetting as you should be able to trust your own tribe." Jayna admitted, and a few members of the tribe were surprised at how honest she was being; it was a dangerous move so close to a vote. "Hopefully the issue will, at the very least, be partially resolved at this elimimation."

"Thank you. With that, I believe it's time to vote. Connor, you can go first." Chris said, and the teenager stood up, sharing a last glance at his tribe before walking down the pathway to the voting box.

Connor went up to vote.

Jackie went up to vote.

Scar went up to vote.

Oswald went up to vote.

"This certainly is going to be interesting, but I'm sure I've done enough to get rid of ***** once and for all."

Jayna went up to vote.

Miles went up to vote.

"This is my third time here, and I promise you it will not be my last."

Miles sat back down, and Chris went to collect the voting box from its position for the second time that night. He soon returned amd removed the first vote, and everyone's stomachs began to churn in fear.

"The first vote is for Miles. So is the second." Chris revealed. Miles didn't move a muscle, as this was expected; he was beginning to realise that receiving at least one vote at every elimination was becoming a common thing for him. "The third vote is also for Miles. Miles, if the next vote is for you, you must leave immediately unless you have an immunity idol. If the name written on the paper is anyone else's, you still have a chance. The fourth vote is for..."

Chris paused again. Beginning to feel slightly fearful, Miles leaned forward in his seat as he felt his cheeks begining to redded. Oswald noticed this and a satisfied smirk rose to his lips and he folded his arms confidently; he had succeeded. Chris took out the fourth vote and spun it around to face everybody.

"Miles. I'm sorry, but there's no need to read out any more of the votes; you have received the majority, and thus you must leave immediately." Chris revealed, and relief slammed into everybody. With a shock, Jayna realised that Scar voted against her and she couldn't help glaring ferociously at him, making sure to remember to bring it up with him once they were back at camp.

Miles stood up, his face revealing no emotion which he could possibly be hiding inside. He walked to the campfire and stood in front of it, looking at everybody for a few seconds one by one with a smile on his face. Noticing this, some people's relieved expressions turned to confusion and they exchanged worried glances.

"Congratulations, everyone. You worked together, and I had the most votes." Miles muttered with a sigh, all the while keeping the smile on his face. However, in an instant it changed to a smirk, and dread began seeping into everybody's minds. "But you made one crucial mistake; you forgot to take immunity idols into account."

With that, Miles reached into his pocket and slid out a small, woden idol, holding it up for everyone to see, and the gasps that everyone made was like a symphony to his ears. However, his favourite was definitely Oswald; seeing a shocked expression on somebody who was usually so smug and relaxed was wonderful to see, in Miles' opinion. Miles smirked and handed the idol to Chris, who let it fall into the fire. As the flames began attacking the flammable, wooden idol, Chris turned to face everybody.

"As Miles used an immunity idol, every vote against him will be negated to zero, and the contestant with the second-highest amount of votes will be eliminated." Chris informed them, then reached for the next roll of parchment.

As he removed it from the voting box and slowly unravelled it, Oswald, Scar, Jayna, Jackie and Oswald waited fearfully for who's name would be called out. Chris read the name in his head, then his eyes scanned across the contestants before he rested them on the target, then proceeded to flip the parchment around.

"The fifth vote is for Oswald." Chris revealed, then reached for the final vote. Oswald closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to not let any weakness show. Knowing the last vote would have his name on it, he rose to his feet. Miles watched this with a devious smirk on his face. "The sixth vote is also for Oswald. I'm sorry, but with two votes, you have been eliminated. Unless you have an immunity idol, you must leave immediately."

Oswald turned to face Miles, and immediately noticed the amusement in his eyes. The unsuspecting teenage sighed for a moment, and stood in silence, before his face contorted into a menacing grin. Miles, unsure as to why he was smirking, suddenly began theorising the worst and the smug look instantly disappeared from his face.

"I'm disappointed. I didn't want to use it so early, but I suppose I'll have to." Oswald muttered to himself, before reaching into his pocket and revealing his immunity idol. Everyone gasped again, even louder this time. "Chris, I'd like to grant myself immunity and negate my votes to zero."

"I can't believe this!" Chris exclaimed, almost bursting in excitement and struggling to remain in the same pot as he took Oswald's idol from him, showed it to everyone, then let it fall in the fire next to Miles. "Oswald's votes have been megated to zero. Now, because Oswald and Miles were the only contestants who received votes and they both used an immunity idol, everybody has zero votes. Therefore, there must be a revote. However, there is a twist; Oswald and Miles are not allowed to vote, nor are they allowed to be voted for. Only Connor, Jackie, Jayna and Scar may vote, for each other."

Everyone is completely and utterly shocked at this, and the four still at risk were i credibly nervous as they hadn't planned for this and thus anybody could be eliminated in the next few minutes. On the other hand, Oswald and Miles, while disappointed about the fact that they had to give up their safety tokens, were relieved that they were now safe no matter what.

"Jayna, if you would, please walk up to the voting box and place your vote for either Scar, Connor or Jackie." Chris said. After giving a nervous glance to everyone sitting on their logs, Jayna made her way to the voting box, her legs trembling so hard that she felt she was going to tumble over and break her neck.

Jayna went up to vote.

"I can't believe this is happening...oh no...I have sucn a bad feeling right now..."

Scar went up to vote.

"This definitely is a surprise. It looks like Miles and Oswald both hold many mysteries in their minds."

Jackie went up to vote.

"What if this is karma for me betraying Jayna and Scar?! I don't want to be eliminated!"

Connor went up to vote.

"I mean, I'm glad that Oswald's safe and all but...what does this mean for Jackie and I? Who knows what could happen?!"

Connor nervously sat down, and as soon as he did Chris hurried to the voting box, excited to see the results. After a few tense moments of silence, the host of the show returned and got straight to it by removing the first vote and opening it. Everyone stared, with the four at risk hoping dearly that their name wasn't written on it.

"The first vote...is for Jayna." Chris revealed, and Jayna thought for a moment that she had run out of air to breathe. As she desperately tried to calm herself down, her emotions all over the place, Chris opened the second vote. "One vote for Connor."

The two victims shared a glance, and noticed fear, hope and desperation in each other's eyes. However, the short exchange quickly ended when Chris read out the third vote.

"The third vote is for Connor. Connor, you currently have two votes. Jayna, you have one. If this vote is for Connor, he must leave immediately. If the vote is for Jayna, and it's a tie, if neither of you have an immunity idol, there will be a tiebreaker. If the vote is for either Scar or Jackie, Connor, you will be eliminated." Chris said. He fished the final vote out from the voting box. "The final vote is for...Jayna. There is a tie."

Jayna, completely and utterly bewildered, glanced at Jackie who sheepishly looked away, slightly ashamed at having betrayed her. Jayna, angry with Jackie for betraying her trust and angry with herself for ever trusting her, tried to ignore her burning hatred at that moment in time and she turned to Chris to see what he had to say. While Scar looked at Jackie emotionlessly, Connor and Oswald nodded gratefully to her, miming the words "Thank you..." which Jackie smiled uncertainly to in response.

"Do either of the two of you have an immunity idol?" Chris asked. Jayna and Connor shared a glance then, at the same time, as expected, they shook their heads. "Then it appears there will be a tie reaker between the two of you to decide who goes home and who remains in the game. This competition just gets more and more shocking!"

Connor and Jackie looked at the ground, silently telling themselves not to be nervous or worried and instead be hopeful that they could succeed in an attempt to motivate themselves. Chris suddenly clappe his hands and both of their heads shot up, intrigued to know what they would have to do.

"For the tiebreaker, you will both receive a small firemaking kit. Kindling and flint will be your only resources. Your job is to build a fire high enough to burn the thin rope above your equipment. As soon as the rope is burnt, it will signal a bell to chime and the comtestant who burnt it first will remain in the competition, while the loser will be eliminated."

After the equipment was set up and Jayna and Connor were positioned behind one, Chris signalled them to begin.

Oswald, Scar, Miles and Jackie watched in excitement and worry as Jayna and Connor desperately and quickly stacked up their kindling, being careful so as not to tip it over and signify the end of the competition for them. Connor built his tower of kindling first, and began striking the flint in an attempt to begin some sort of flame.

However, he couldn't seem to do it and he fell behind to Jayna, who managed to strike the flint perfectly and start a fire in an instant. As Jayna watched, her fire began to grow and grow, feasting on the kindling and rising higher and higher. She noticed the rope beginning to thin and hope sparked in her heart. However, just as she thought it was about to snap, disaster struck. The bottom pile of the kindling had burnt away completely, causing the upper half to fall. It tumbled off Jayna's table and landed on the ground, extinguishing.

Jayna screamed in horror, clasping her hands against her cheeks, as she feverently began throwing the kindling she could salvage back onto the platform. Unfortunately for her, it was all for naught as Connor had finally managed to get his fire going and within minutes it had burnt through the thin rope. The bell chimed and he sat back, his eyes closed, waiting for the exhilaration of the situation to die down. A smile spread across his lips as he realised he was safe.

Jayns stood up, trying her hardest to be strong, and turned to face everybody.

"Everyone, be careful of Oswald and Miles. They're devious, and if you're in an alliance with them they would never resist to betray you to further their own games. Just remember that." Jayna spoke before walking out, not wishing luck to anyone, not even Scar as he didn't trust her and voted for Miles rather than going with what she believed in.

With that, she was gone forever, and the Serenity Tribe knew what it was truly like to suffer through an elimination; none of them ever wanted to step into the bonfire area ever again, even though it was inevitable that they would.

As Chris bid them farewell and the five members of the tribe made their way back to camp, they realised how, if they didn't observe every possible thing happening in the game and create a theory from it, they truly could be eliminated at any time. As they walked away, they understood that from now on they would all need to be at the top of their games or else they could be following in Jayna's footsteps.

 **Final Confessional: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **"I can't believe how quickly everything changed. One moment, I felt so safe in my alliance, and the next I'm fighting for my safety. If there's one thing I'm going to take away from this experience, it's that you can't trust anyone. I wish everyone on the other tribes luck; you're all going to need it."**

 **...**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 ** _Pre-Merge_**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones**

 **19th Place: Olivia Haas**

 **18th Place: Dale Montgomery Lawson**

 **17th Place: Hudson Ewing**

 **16th Place: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine**

 **...**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and I'm so sorry that it's been over a month since the last chapter, but I really hope that you can all understand! Please review to let me know what you thought about the chapter, and I'll see you next time, whenever that may be!**

 **Bye for now! ^^**


	9. Chapter Six: Wall of Loyalty

**Hey everybody! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and a Happy New Year! I apologise for the long wait, and I know it seems like the breaks between chapters are getting longer and longer, but I hope to shorten them down soon! However, with education and life getting in the way it doesn't seem like it's possible right now. Still, I'm grateful for the immense support I get on this story and I don't think I could do it without you guys, so...thank you for the reviews and support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! ^^**

 **...**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

The moon was high in the clear night sky as the four members of the Sky Tribe walked along the sandy pathway through the forest back to their camp, with the atmosphere full of mixed feelings and emotions. While Arianna and Adam were ecstatic with the night's events, Griff was downright devastated and Brooke stood somewhere in the middle; she was glad that she was in the majority, but at the same time she felt sympathetic for the friendly contestant who was now without allies.

Arianna, who was walking ahead of the other three, suddenly turned around and placed her hands on her hips, a victorious smirk on her lips.

"I have to say, I'm absolutely ecstatic! My plans are going perfectly so far; everyone in my alliance is here, and everyone _against_ my alliance are dropping like flies! All of the buzzing little menaces are getting caught up in my web, and I'm snapping them up...and there's only ooonnnneeee left..." Arianna said, her gaze shifting from Brooke and Adam to Griff, and she immediately noticed the evident irritation in his eyes.

The two locked eyes for a moment, and remained in this position, but eventually Griff looked away and continued walking, ignoring Arianna completely. Slightly annoyed at having been blanked, Arianna narrowed her eyes and walked towards him, stopping in front of him and preventing him from walking any further.

"How does it feel, Griff? To be the last one left of your pathetic alliance? You're all alone, against the three of us. You may as well just give up now, it's not like you have any hope of getting to the merge." Arianna spat cruelly, her eyes burning like coals. Griff, who had been staring at the ground, slowly lifted up his head to meet her gaze. "Your elimination's approaching fast, Griff."

With that, she fell silent, and the two continued to stare at each other. Brooke and Adam stopped walking to watch them, with the former feeling nervous for what would happen if Arianna continued to pester Griff.

After a few more moments, Griff looked back down, his face red with anger, and stormed past Arianna in silence, in the direction of the camp. In just a few seconds, Griff had passed Brooke and Adam, also giving them no attention whatsoever, as if they didn't even exist. Arianna watched him leave then scoffed.

"What a coward. When Griff had that idiot Hudson by his side, he said whatever he wanted to us, but as soon as he's alone he's reverted into nothing but a frightened fool!" Arianna exclaimed with a giggle as she folded her arms. She turned to look at Brooke and Adam. "I can't wait to get rid of him."

At this, Brooke's eyes widened slightly and she turned to look at the slowly disappearing figure of Griff, beginning to feel worried for him.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"I've never realised how mean and malicious Arianna truly is until now...it's like she was keeping her true colours hidden from me until she was certain I was on her side, then released all her hate at once...and poor Griff! His friend was just eliminated, and Arianna ripping into him like that is just cruel...I don't know if I'd be able to cope if that happened to me." Brooke admitted nervously, worriedly playing with her hands.**

 **...**

The alliance entered camp, and as soon as they stepped onto the beach Arianna walked to the campfire and stood on one of the logs sitting around it that they used as a bench while they cooked or stayed warm.

"Everyone! Gather around, please!" Arianna ordered firmly, clapping her hands to attract everyone's attention.

Adam, who was sitting by the fire, adding kindling to the flames, simply looked up. Brooke walked over to the campfire and folded her arms. Griff, however, stayed a good distance away, sitting on the sand miserably, but Arianna noticed out of the corner of her eye that his head was faced in her direction so she knew he was listening.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"Arianna is literally the bossiest person I've ever met! She wasn't like this at all before! How has it taken me so long to see?!" Brooke growled in utter frustration, trying her absolute hardest not to scream in rage. All of a sudden, however, her eyes widened and she gasped as realisation hit her. "She really has been manipulating me, hasn't she? Just like I thought...how badly was I played...?"**

 **...**

"Right guys, we _seriously_ need to start winning, because our tribe currently has the least amount of members! Soon, we'll be so small that Chris will have to pull a Sea Tribe on us!" Arianna exclaimed with a leadership tone in her voice. "We only have four members!"

"That's a bit obvious, isn't it?" Griff muttered quietly under his breath, but Arianna heard him and her head snapped towards him at a breakneck pace. However, she chose to ignore him for the time being.

"If we don't want to lose anybody before the merge, all of us need to start pulling our weights and trying our hardest to succeed." Arianna said in determination. Upon hearing this, Griff, who up until now had been almost completely silent, suddenly exploded with anger and leapt to his feet.

"Why do you even want to win?! Even if we lose, it doesn't matter for you and your _precious_ alliance, does it?! You'll just eliminate me and the three of you will be all happy and joyful in you stupid little circle!" Griff snapped furiously. Brooke looked at him and gasped in surprise, while Adam gave him an icy look.

Arianna, on the other hand, feigned shock while in reality she was feeling incredibly amused by his outburst.

"I can't believe you would say that...I care about all of you the same, and I don't want to see any of you leave! I wouldn't be able to bear it!" Arianna lied clearly, a fake hurt expression on her face. Griff rolled his eyes. Almost immediately after, however, she smirked slightly. "Seeing Hudson's shocked and upset expression when he was eliminated broke my heart...I can't imagine what it was like for him..."

"You're a sick witch!" Griff shouted at the top of his lungs, showing for the first time what he was like when he was truly angry. He stood completely still, his face black like thunder, as he glared intensely at Arianna. "At some point in this game, you will receive serious karma, Arianna. I don't know when it'll happen, but all I know is that it will. I promise you that."

With those threatening words, Griff turned swiftly on his heels and stormed away to the ocean. Arianna watched this, an amused smile on her face. Brooke felt incredibly guilty and began to follow Griff, determined to speak with him. However, within seconds Adam noticed this.

"Where are you going?" He asked calmly, no anger in his voice, but Brooke knew that he was in fact incredibly suspicious of what she was doing.

She turned around to look at him for a moment, then changed her gaze back to Griff and continued following him, not speaking a word to her ally. Immediately, Adam stood up, about to chase after her and prevent her from talking to Griff, but Arianna firmly placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"There's no need to worry about Brooke, Adam. She would never betray the two of us. Not now." Arianna said softly with a twisted smile, and the two watched as Brooke began to catch up with the distraught Griff.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodireguez**

 **"Absolutely perfect and flawless! I have Adam and Brooke wrapped firmly around my finger, and the only rat left standing in my way is Griff. I may as well just class him as eliminated already; it's not like he can do anything." Arianna said with a triumphant giggle. "I've pretty much won this game already!"**

 **...**

Brooke stopped walking a few feet behind Griff, and she watched him in silence for a few moments, beginning to feel nervous. What if he yelled at her? What if he spat at her? What if he spewed non-stop insults at her?

"No...no, this is Griff. He wouldn't do that." Brooke reassured herself under her breath, and she breathed deeply before walking over to him. "Griff?"

Griff's body tensed for a moment before he turned around to face her, and Brooke immediately noticed that his eyes were full of sadness and despair. Did eliminating Hudson really affect him that badly? Suddenly filled with regret, Brooke began to contemplate leaving, but she forced herself to be confident.

She gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Hudson." Brooke said softly.

"Don't bother." Griff said irritably, shaking her hand off forcefully using his shoulder. "A hundred fake apologies wouldn't change the fact that you still voted for my best friend and he's gone."

As Brooke listened silently, Griff's eyes met hers and she instantly noticed hatred scrawled inside them.

"You're turning more into Arianna and Adam every day." Griff spat.

Feeling shocked and slightly taken aback, Brooke slowly turned her head to gaze upon her alliance, who were sitting by the campfire discussing something quietly. As the awkward atmosphere of the situation draped on her shoulders like a choking blanket, Brooke found herself considering whether she should end the conversation and go back to her allies.

However, she convinced herself otherwise, as she had already come so far. She turned back to Griff, and looked into his eyes.

"You can't let this bring you down, Griff. You _have_ to stay strong." Brooke said. Griff's eyes slightly averted from hers for a moment, as he looked at the sand.

"Why should I bother?" Griff asked, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. As Brooke listened, he continued solemnly. "The next time we lose there's no doubt that I'm going to be eliminated, so I may as well give up. It's like Arianna said; there's only a matter of time until the majority of the voting slips have my name written on them."

"You can't think like that, Griff! Try to be positive; all you have to do is make it to the merge, and you can have a fresh start!" Brooke said, beginning to speak faster and faster in her desperate attempt to persuade her tribe member. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work and Griff quickly shook his head.

"Just stop the pity party and go away." Griff demanded coldly. "I know you're only being nice to me so you have a potential ally when your alliance with Arianna and Adam doesn't work out."

"You need to try your hardest for Hudson." Brooke continued, ignoring Griff's last statement. "You _need_ to make sure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain! I'm sure that if the tables were turned, Hudson would put all of his focus into avenging you."

As Griff stayed silent, considering what she said and finally revealing that her words were beginning to persuade him, Brooke leaned closer to him until their faces were almost touching.

"At the very least, you need to try your hardest not to start up conflict with Arianna." Brooke said, reducing her voice to a quiet whisper. Noticing the sudden change of emotion in his eyes from consideration to anger and knowing he was about to object, she quickly piped in. "I know it's hard, I know. I struggle sometimes not to shout at Arianna and her ginormous ego as well, but you need to appeal to her to make sure she doesn't throw the next immunity challenge and get rid of you."

"...Why do you care so much about me? You have nothing to worry about...you're safe in your alliance, so why are you bothered about what happens to me?" Griff uttered in confusion. Brooke stared at him in silence for a few seconds, as if unsure whether to say what was on her mind.

"To be honest, I think of you as a friend, Griff. You're the only person left in this tribe who I feel this way to." Brooke said slowly before quickly walking away, leaving Griff to his thoughts. He watched her leave in silence, his mind full of different opinions and options.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"Brooke's right. Hudson was eliminated, and now I'm all alone, but I can't give up! If I do, I may as well have been voted out instead of Hudson! I need to try my absolute hardest and never lose hope so I can avenge him!" Griff exclaimed, his confidence having returned to him thanks to Brooke and her friendly persuasion.**

 **...**

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Miles)_**

Upon first leaving the elimination area and starting the walk back to their tribe's camp, the five members all walked together in a pack, as if they were all united. However, within just a few minutes, it was evident where everyone's loyalty and ideals really lied as people began to separate in small groups or walk off on their own. Oswald and Miles, surprisingly for the other members of the tribe, were both walking together, a few paces ahead of everybody else. Connor and Jackie, a few metres behind, were also walking together and talking while Scar trailed behind at the back, alone.

"That elimination was crazy...I almost had a heart attack when Chris said there would be a re-vote. Either of us could've been eliminated!" Jackie exclaimed, then nervously giggled and looked at Connor. "If you were eliminated in that tiebreaker against Jayna, my betrayal would've been completely in vain. Both Scar and Jayna would still be in the game and neither of them would trust me, and Miles would probably join up with them. I'd be eliminated soon no doubt. Seeing you win made me the most relieved I've ever felt in my life."

"I was nervous of being eliminated too." Connor admitted with a nod, before smiling slightly. "But thankfully I pulled through, and I'm still in this! Both of us are! Thank you so much for sticking with me and Oswald during that re-vote, Jackie. I know how easy it would've been to simply vote with Jayna and Scar and eliminate me...I really appreciate it."

"It's okay. To be honest, I've always felt more like I belong with you and Oswald over Scar and Jayna, it just took me some time to act on it. I mean, whenever we're in camp I spend way more time with you than I ever did with those two!" Jackie said, smiling, but it soon faded away into a guilty expression. "I still feel really guilty, though. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to look at Scar again without thinking about me betraying him...I hope he doesn't think I'm evil or anything like that."

"There's no need to worry, Jackie, because even if Scar does think you're evil and tries to get revenge on you for Jayna, we'll easily be able to vote him out before he can even think about doing anything. We have the power in the tribe; you, Oswald and I. We're safe." Connor said in an attempt to reassure his friend.

"Yeah..." Jackie said, unsure, her fears slightly quenched. However, as soon as she relaxed about one thing another issue immediately popped into her mind. "But what about Miles? I know he's alone, but...I'm worried that he has loads of tricks up his sleeve that could take him straight to the finale."

Connor, after a few moments, stopped walking and placed his hands on Jackie's shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Right now, Miles has nothing he can use to his advantage. All four of us; me, you, Oswald, Scar; we all know his mischievous and sneaky ways and none of us will align with him because of that. We're all wary of being betrayed or possibly not being clever or cunning enough to understand his true plans." Connor explained, and Jackie nodded along. He stopped talking for a second, and his expression suddenly went grim. "It's true that in the merge, Miles will definitely become a much bigger threat because he'll be introduced to people who he's never talked to before; the people on the Sand Tribe, who have no idea what he's really like, making them bigger targets for manipulation. Hopefully, though, it'll be a while until then, giving us time to get rid of him first."

"But if we do lose, who _should_ we get rid of first? Who would benefit the alliance more by getting rid of them?" Jackie asked, and Connor fell silent as both considered who, out of Scar and Miles, would affect and damage the alliance more if they stayed.

"...I think it's-" Connor began, when he was suddenly cut off by Jackie's shriek of shock.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Jackie cried in shock and horror as somebody lunged out, gripping her arm and preventing her from moving. She quickly glanced behind her and sighed in relief to see it was Scar, but she still felt slightly unnerved by the experience.

Scar stared at Jackie in silence for a few seconds, then his head slowly turned to the right to look at the surprised and speechless Connor.

"I'm taking Jackie away to talk." He said, and instantly Connor realised that it was a statement, not a question. However, he refused to stand back and let Scar drag away Jackie out of nowhere.

"You can't just do that, Scar. At the end of the day, it's Jackie's choice whether she wants to talk to you or not." Connor challenged him. In response to this, Scar gave him an icy stare and Connor flinched slightly, Scar's eyes feeling as if they were burning through his skull. Jackie gently placed her hand on Connor's arm.

"It's fine, Connor. Besides, Scar deserves to at least have an explanation from me for why I did what I did." Jackie said and she stopped walking, allowing Connor to walk ahead while she stayed behind with Scar, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. Connor gave her one last glance of concern before walking away.

As soon as Connor was a good distance away, Jackie turned to face Scar with the intention of apologising, but no matter how hard she tried the words just didn't come out, and she found herself awkwardly stuttering while Scar stared at her, until he began to speak himself.

"Jackie, I know you feel safer and more secure being aligned with Connor and Oswald than you did with Jayna and I. But that doesn't make it right to abandon us. Traitors never win in this game." Scar said with a straight-face. Jackie, still having no idea what to say in response, stayed quiet, so Scar continued. "If you continue to betray people, nobody will trust you. Even if you make it to the finale because of your treachery, nobody will want to vote for you. You'll have no chance of winning.

"You'd better hope that betraying Jayna and I was the last time you'll ever do it, at least in this competition. Otherwise, no matter what, you'll eventually be following in her footsteps." Scar finished darkly before turning to leave.

Jackie, feeling emotional and nervous after hearing what he had to say, quickly grabbed his arm and prevented him from leaving. Scar turned his head back around and noticed tears forming in her eyes, but he didn't feel a shred of regret or guilt about what he said. Jackie was desperately staring into his eyes, hoping to find a form of friendship or kindness inside, but she couldn't find anything in his coal-coloured orbs which made her even more worried.

"I'm...Scar, I'm..." Jackie began to apologise, but for some reason the words just wouldn't come and she fell silent.

Scar, after staring at her for a few moments while he waited, eventually gave up and pulled his arm away from Jayna's hand, walking away from her. Jackie watched him leave, waves of guilt crashing down upon her. Had she really made the right decision?

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"What Connor said does reassure me a bit. I mean, after all, I _am_ part of the majority alliance and right now I can't be eliminated unless Connor or Oswald flip for Scar or Miles, which I can't see happening...but...I just can't shake what Scar told me. He's right. After that betrayal, I've no doubt lost a potential jury vote, possibly even two if Miles takes it personally. If I keep this up...I'll have no chance of winning." Jackie said nervously to herself, staring worriedly into the confessional camera.**

 **...**

While the drama unfolded just a few metres behind them, Oswald and Miles walked ahead together as they neared the camp in silence. However, this silence wasn't a tense moment of quiet, or an awkward one where they didn't know what to say to each other, or a fearful one where they were afraid of what the other would say back to them, but instead a silence of respect. Despite the odds, both of them had survived the bonfire and because of that they respected each other.

"You truly are as devious and cunning as I believed you to be when you first entered the tribe." Oswald admitted out of nowhere, causing Miles to turn his head to look at him as he walked. Oswald folded his arms and placed them behind his head as he looked up at the sky. "Even though everybody expected you to be eliminated, even the one on your side, you still made it through. You managed to manipulate everyone in such a way that they never suspected you were in the possession of a hidden immunity idol. It shocked all of us. You really are a force to be reckoned with."

"I appreciate that, Oswald." Miles thanked him. "But you're giving me too much credit. You're the one who's leading a majority alliance and just eliminated one of its threats; I, on the other hand, am completely alone. The next time we lose, I'm almost certainly going to be eliminated. Who truly is the force to be reckoned with here out of the two of us?"

"That's simply luck." Oswald said dismissively, shaking his head. "The person who would be in control of the tribe all depended on the tiebreaker; Connor easily could've lost, meaning Jayna would stay in the game and you, her and Scar would be the majority alliance. Jackie would likely join back up with them, and I'd be the odd man out; it was all the flip of a coin, and thankfully for me luck was on my side in this instance. To tell the truth, Miles, you are my alliance's next target. But..."

Oswald smirked slightly.

"...I know you won't fall that easily."

"..." Miles wanted to smirk back, but he kept his face composed and he instead nodded. "I'll definitely try my hardest not to."

"You may be a huge threat, but I respect you, Miles. To be honest, even though you could destroy my entire alliance with just your powers of persuasion if in the right situation, I'm glad you made it through." Oswald said, and Miles looked at him, slightly surprised. "Someone of your intelligence doesn't deserve to be eliminated in place of someone who does things on a whim, like Jayna. I'm really looking forward to what tricks you have up your sleeve when it comes to the merge."

Miles smiled slightly at this.

"You're assuming we're both going to make it to the merge? This game is full of surprises, and anything can happen at any moment in time; assuming could eliminate you in an instant if you get it wrong." Miles warned vaguely as the two continued to walk.

"This game certainly is full of surprises." Oswald agreed, ignoring what Miles was implying about his elimination. All of a sudden, the corners of Oswald's lips flicked up in a smirk. "Like this one."

He suddenly stopped walking, and Miles also halted, confused. Quickly, Oswald glanced back along the pathway to see the other three a good distance away and definitely out of earshot.

"I'd like to offer you an alliance proposal, but not in the way that you may be thinking." Oswald said, and Miles listened intently, his face betraying nothing. "The two of us would never actually openly discuss in a group, like a regular alliance, but we would work together from the sidelines, communicating from the shadows. At every elimination, we'll discuss our votes and plans with just each other, and leave the members of our safety alliances out of it. Even if, for some reason, we're eventually placed on separate tribes."

"The two of us would take control of the game, and pull the strings of our separate alliances...all while not revealing that we're secretly working together." Miles added, catching on. Oswald nodded.

"This plan is guaranteed to drift us to the final two, where we both belong." Oswald said, and the two smirked at the same time.

Their new, secret alliance was set in stone, despite both of the only members unsure if they truly intended to work together and be completely honest with their new ally.

 **Day 9**

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

It was very early in the morning, and the gentle orange sun was slowly and timidly beginning to appear on the horizon, slowly rising up and vanishing the darkness of the previous night. The gentle tide of the ocean drifted in and out peacefully, and the birds in the highest trees began to sing.

Ingrid and Sasha were both sitting together on the sand, watching the sunrise as they did almost every morning. However, this one was different. After Rebekah's manipulation two days ago, which Sasha hadn't detected, the young girl had wanted to stay as far away as possible from Ingrid, believing her to be using her simply to progress further in the game. However, Rebekah had insisted that Sasha remain around Ingrid so it wasn't obvious that she had secretly joined another alliance.

"The sunrise is so pretty, isn't it?" Ingrid said with a smile, trying to provoke a conversation so the atmosphere wouldn't begin to get awkward.

"I suppose so." Sasha replied bluntly, shuffling around uncomfortably. She turned to face the campfire, with Gabby, Zane, Rebekah and Kevin were sitting. She wished that she could just join them and leave the manipulator alone in the sand, but for some reason she wasn't allowed. Why did it matter? She was going to be eliminated next anyway, and she couldn't do anything about it...

Ingrid, sensing the hostility in Sasha's voice, sighed slightly.

"Sasha...I'm sorry for being so nosy when we talked a few days ago. Your privacy is your own business, and it was wrong of me to try and intrude. If you don't want to tell me anything about your past, then that's fine, but please don't let this ruin our friendship." Ingrid expressed, shocking Sasha and causing her to gasp. "I truly didn't mean to upset you."

"..." Sasha remained silent, unsure how to react to this. Ingrid's apology seemed genuine, but...what if this was just another attempt of wrapping her around her finger? It was impossible to tell...

"I just hope you won't hold this against me. I mean, who knows how long the both of us are going to remain in this game? Our tribe could lose at any time, and one of us could be eliminated just like that and we might never see each other again. I don't want our friendship to end like that..." Ingrid continued, slightly unnerved by Sasha's silence. "You're my best friend, Sasha."

She was trying to ignore her words as hard as she could, and she kept telling herself that Ingrid was just trying to manipulate her, but she just couldn't persuade herself. Sasha had been friends with her since the beginning of the game, and she had spent more time with her than she had spent with any other contestant. Could that person who she'd spent her life in the game with really been using her...?

Still, she stayed quiet as she considered this.

"...I'll leave you to think." Ingrid said softly, giving her friend a quick hug before getting to her feet and leaving.

As Sasha stared at the sea, thoughts swirled around her head as she considered if she was truly willing to vote out the person who had been standing by her side ever since she first stepped onto the island.

...

Rebekah and Kevin both stood together in their secret alliance clearing they shared with Sasha, waiting for her to appear so they could discuss their plans in further detail and also bring up new potential ones. It was mostly silent, with the only noise being the light breeze rustling the leaves overhead.

"I'm so relieved our tribe didn't lose the immunity challenge. It makes me so happy just thinking about it." Rebekah said with a smile as she turned to look at Kevin, attempting to make some sort of conversation while they waited.

"Why are you relieved?" Kevin asked, slightly confused. "Even if we lost we could've just voted out Ingrid."

"Yeah, I know that, and I know that I had a hand in it, but I would still feel really guilty if Sasha was torn away from her best friend on this island because of us. Her only friend, really." Rebekah muttered sadly, looking at the ground. "I'm nervous about how she'll react when we eliminate Ingrid, too. What if it causes her to spiral out of control when we go into the merge?"

Noticing Rebekah had worry plainly scrawled all over her face, Kevin softly took her hands in his own and looked her in the eyes.

"There's no need to worry, Rebekah. The likelihood is Sasha will be too frightened and jittery to be independent and work alone when the merge comes; she'll probably cling to the safety of her alliance. Us." Kevin explained.

"I hope so." Rebekah said, nerves clearly in her voice. "I still feel guilty for using Sasha without her knowing, though."

As Kevin stared at Rebekah, wondering how he could possibly relax her fears, Sasha suddenly emerged from a cluster of bushes, a nervous yet thoughtful look displayed on her face. Rebekah looked at her and smiled, hiding her doubts from her.

"Hey Sasha!" She exclaimed happily, walking towards her and giving her a hug which the timid girl returned. However, the more confident girl immediately detected there was something on Sasha's mind, causing her to begin to feel worried. After the two separated, Rebekah looked at her in silence for a moment; the latter was avoiding looking her in the eyes. "Sasha, what's wrong?"

As soon as she heard the question, Sasha's eyes widened and she quickly looked away as she speedily tried to think of an excuse.

"E-er...I'm just...a bit worried for the challenge. We haven't w-won a reward challenge yet, have we?" Sasha lied, a nervous smile on her face. Rebekah was relieved upon hearing this and she nodded in agreement, but Kevin's suspicious silence caused Sasha to feel unnerved, and she slowly looked at him.

"You're lying." Kevin said bluntly, causing Sasha to look away and Rebekah to gasp. Rebekah was about to tell him not to accuse Sasha of lying, but when she saw Sasha looking silently at the ground she couldn't help feeling suspicious. "Sasha, if you don't tell us the truth we won't be able to help you. What's wrong?"

Sasha continued staring at the ground as a tense silence settled over the three of them, both Kevin and Rebekah staring at Sasha, awaiting an answer. Sasha felt herself beginning to get emotional as she slowly looked up at Kevin to answer his question.

"...I don't want to vote for Ingrid anymore." Sasha revealed quietly, confirming Rebekah's fears. Both of them were stunned into silence as they both believed that their manipulation two days ago had worked on her. Knowing he had to change her mind, Kevin took a step closer to Sasha.

"Why? What changed your mind?" He asked.

"...I...I think you were wrong. About what you said about Ingrid. I don't think she's manipulating me, o-or using me...I think she really cares about me and wants the best for me. I think she really does want to be my friend." Sasha said slowly, hoping Kevin and Rebekah wouldn't be angry with her.

"But that's what Ingrid's plan is! It's what she _wants_ you to think!" Rebekah told her, quickly jumping in as she tried to stay calm. "She doesn't care about you whatsoever in reality! To her, you're nothing but a puppet, Sasha! She's just manipulating your kindness for her own benefit!"

"It surprised us too when we first realised, Sasha." Kevin said softly, noticing Sasha's hurt expression at the thought of what Rebekah said being reality. "But Ingrid really would get rid of you if she thought she was going to be eliminated herself. We don't want to see that happen to you, Sasha."

"You have an opportunity to get rid of Ingrid before the opposite happens to you." Rebekah explained, starting off from where Kevin ended. "We don't want you to ignore our advice and stay with Ingrid, because if you do...you'll be eliminated soon, no doubt about it. You don't deserve such an awful fate!"

"I-I'm not sure..." Sasha mumbled, beginning to feel overwhelmed. She quickly wiped tears out of her eyes, not wanting them to see her get upset as she felt that she would look pathetic.

"You have to trust us, Sasha. Besides, in the end, you'll be safer in our alliance than alone with somebody who would happily throw you under the bus." Rebekah said, continuing her attempt to persuade Sasha.

However, as the two continued talking over each other as they shouted out more and more fake reasons for why Sasha should betray Ingrid, the timid girl reached her breaking point and screamed loudly, causing Kevin and Rebekah to fall silent and shock.

"I'm not going to vote for Ingrid, okay?! She's my friend, and I don't care if I get betrayed! I have a mind of my own, so stop trying to shove your thoughts in!" Sasha shouted furiously, her face having gone black with anger as she glared at both of her alliance members in turn before spinning around and running away, tears mixed with both anger and sadness in her eyes.

Shocked at her sudden outburst, Kevin and Rebekah exchanged a glance of worry and guilt as they both silently contemplated if they pushed Sasha too far with their attempted persuasion.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"This isn't good. I know it doesn't affect our alliance if Sasha votes with us or not, but the number of people we're fighting against is going to grow massively at the merge, and having Sasha on our side would be a huge help and much better than her going off with somebody else. We can't have her staying with Ingrid, or she might not align with us after she's gone..." Rebekah mumbled worriedly, thinking about the worst outcome.**

 **...**

Gabby and Zane sat together by the campfire, the latter stoking it to stop it from extinguishing while the former was relaxing in the sun, enjoying the heat emanating from its rays. It had been silent for about half an hour, with neither of them particularly in the mood for conversation, when an unfinished topic popped into Zane's mind, causing him to look at Gabby curiously.

"Kevin is such a traitor, isn't he? A complete and utter selfish traitor." Zane muttered angrily, stabbing the stick he was using to stoke the fire into the flames, imagining it to be Kevin's face. Gabby looked at him, surprised at how out of the blue the question was. "Do we really have to be in an alliance with him? Can't we just eliminate him?"

"I know you're angry, Zane, but you can't let your irritation go to your head and mess with your decisions. You have to stay logical if you want to win this game, and part of that logic is being with a strong, large alliance." Gabby said, genuinely giving Zane helpful advice despite her enjoyment of the drama which she started.

"But...what can I do? What _should_ I do? Just looking at Kevin and Rebekah makes me so... _angry_. Soon I'll have burnt every bridge connecting me to them." Zane said in despair, feeling annoyed at the thought but also feeling irritated with Kevin and Rebekah's traitorous relationship they had involved themselves in.

"For now, you have to put those thoughts aside for your own sake. You're part of a large alliance, possibly the largest in the game, and if we all get to the merge we're bound to crush everybody in our way, especially if we recruit more people." Gabby said seriously, but not even a second after she finished speaking she smirked. "And that's when we'll get rid of Rebekah and Kevin. As soon as they feel secure, and think they're going to drift through to the finals...we'll give them a taste of their own medicine. We'll let them know what it feels like to be betrayed. We'll join up with the majority...and destroy them."

Upon hearing this, Zane couldn't help smirking at the thought. He began imagining the looks on Kevin and Rebekah's faces as one of them was revealed to have the most votes...and how helpless the other one would be without them. But then, the sudden excitement faded as he remembered the promise he had made with Kevin early on in the game.

"I don't think I could do that, Gabby. Days ago, I agreed with Kevin to work together with him until the end. I promised." Zane explained. At this, Gabby sighed and shook her head, as if she was disappointed.

"But Kevin's already broken that promise by getting together with Rebekah and clearly prioritising her over you and openly liking her more." Gabby pointed out, her tone growing dark. "Do you really think that if it came down to it being between you and Rebekah, and Kevin was the deciding vote, he would pick you over his girlfriend just because of some silly promise? He'd betray you for her in a heartbeat, and you need to start thinking about that. Now...would you like to go through with my plan?"

"..." Zane didn't answer, instead staying quiet as he thought about what Gabby just said. After a few moments of contemplation, he gave a small nod, signifying his agreement. "Okay. I'm in."

"Good." Gabby said with a devious smile.

All of a sudden, just as their conversation ended, their two other alliance members emerged from the forest and began walking over to them, having no idea of what they were just discussing. As soon as Rebekah and Kevin reached them, all four felt tense and awkward, likely because of Zane and Kevin's argument two days ago, and nobody was sure what to say.

"...We have something to tell you." Rebekah broke the ice ominously, and while Gabby looked at her curiously, Zane rolled his eyes, completely uninterested.

"Oh, let me guess...did Kevin propose? Are you showing us your expensive diamond ring?!" Zane scoffed, faking excitement. At this, Kevin's eyes narrowed and he folded his arms, feeling irritated but remaining silent for the sake of the alliance. Rebekah completely ignored Zane as she continued speaking.

"Two days ago, Kevin and I forged a fake secret alliance with Sasha in order to gain her trust, while also manipulating her into eliminating Ingrid. That way, after we got rid of her, Sasha would remain on our side and the five of us would all go into the merge together." Rebekah explained swiftly. As she revealed everything the two had been up to, Gabby and Zane's eyes widened in shock as neither of the two had expected them to get up to so much in such a short time.

"At first, Sasha agreed to vote out Ingrid, and Rebekah and I thought our plan had worked flawlessly. But just a few minutes ago, out of absolutely nowhere, Sasha came up to us and said that she had changed her mind and she wasn't going to vote for Ingrid anymore." Kevin said, worry evidently in his voice. He and Rebekah shared a quick glance before looking back at Gabby and Zane. "Now we're worried Sasha won't vote for us."

"But...why does it matter if she votes with us or not? Either way, we hold the majority." Gabby said, confused. Zane was also thinking the same thing, and the two stared at the couple, awaiting an explanation.

"That's true." Rebekah nodded. "Ingrid would be eliminated no matter what. But, going into the merge, alliances, especially large alliances, are absolutely essential."

"It would be way more beneficial to us if we had Sasha on our side, giving us five alliance members in total, rather than if Sasha went wild come the merge and randomly joined an alliance with somebody else, making us weaker." Kevin continued, while Gabby and Zane listened closely. "It's much more likely that Sasha would stick with us if she was part of Ingrid's elimination, and not against it."

After listening to their justification, Gabby and Zane both realised that Kevin and Rebekah were right and that they needed Sasha's vote to do better in the long-run.

"I have to admit..." Zane began quietly as he tapped his chin in thought, causing all three to look at him. "Rebekah, Kevin, the both of you played an incredibly devious and cunning move. I'm shocked."

At this, Kevin couldn't help smiling slightly, but it soon faded when he remembered their situation and the fact that they still needed to deal with Sasha.

"What can we do to persuade her?" He asked, and the four began exchanging glances until Gabby smirked as a plan formulated in her mind.

"Don't worry about it." She said suspiciously, before looking up at the three three and grinning. "Just leave it to me."

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"Looks like Sasha is staying loyal to her pathetic friendship with Ingrid. Well...once I'm through with her, the timid, childish runt won't even want to be within four miles of her!" Gabby exclaimed with a laugh of cruelty.**

 **...**

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Brooke and Arianna were sitting together by the gentle, blue ocean, with a pile of grimy pots and pans stacked in-between them. As both of them scrubbed hastily, desperate to get the tiring, irritating work done, Brooke couldn't help looking up at Arianna as she thought about the previous day's events. She had been thinking about Griff, and how he had no allies left, and thus the atmosphere between her and Arianna was quite awkward due to neither of them talking.

As she washed a pot, Arianna's eyes flicked up to look at Brooke, with a smirk on her lips and suspicion and intrigue in her eyes. Every so often, when Brooke looked up at Arianna, she caught her staring back at her, which made her slightly uncomfortable and caused her to instantly look away. However, because she didn't like conflict or confrontation, she chose to ignore it every time, hoping Arianna would stop.

"You know, I really have hope for the future of this game." Arianna spoke out of the blue, just as Brooke was starting to feel relaxed. Feeling slightly unnerved by the comment, Brooke slowly put down the saucepan she was washing and eyed Arianna.

"E-erm..." Brooke stammered, unsure what to say, when she realised that Arianna was staring at her expectantly. "Um, I do too! I hope everything works out in our favour."

"Yeah, I mean, everything has been going well so far! Hopefully it'll keep up!" Arianna said with a smile, clasping her hands together. Then, holding up a hand, she began counting off fingers as she continued. "Every elimination we've eliminated an enemy; Dale, Hudson...we only have one left, and we have a strong alliance going into the merge!"

Brooke nodded at this, throwing Arianna a false smile quickly, as if in an attempt to negate her suspicions of her and also to hide her true feelings of caution and worry directed at her ally. As Arianna talked, Brooke continued to wonder where she was going with this conversation.

"I feel really lucky." Brooke said quietly, continuing to smile. Arianna smiled back for a moment, which caused Brooke to start feeling better, when suddenly that smile dropped and was replaced with an expression of grim realisation.

"There's only one problem..." Arianna muttered, gently placing the pot she was drying on the sand and turning to look at the ocean. As Brooke waited, feeling the uneasy sensation in her stomach grow by the second, Arianna quickly turned to face her. "...you."

Brooke could feel her mouth dropping in complete shock, and she found herself completely uncertain how to react to this plain accusation. For a few moments, she could only stare speechlessly at Arianna, who was waiting expectantly for a response with an expression of mockery on her face.

"Oh, don't look so surprised!" Arianna muttered in frustration after she realised Brooke wasn't going to answer, annoyed by her silence. "You had to see this coming."

Still incredibly confused and shocked, Brooke stayed silent, finding herself able to only stare at Arianna. With a sigh, Arianna glared at Brooke, her eyes filled with ice, before proceeding to point an accusing finger in her direction.

"You can't just go swanning off to Griff and expect Adam and I not to feel at least the slightest bit suspicious!" Arianna exclaimed, and realisation suddenly hit Brooke as she realised why Arianna was acting this way towards her.

"...Griff's my friend, Arianna." Brooke blurted out after desperately thinking of something to say to try and calm her ally down. However, it only seemed to fuel her anger, as after she spoke Arianna's eyes narrowed. "I-I just feel bad for him."

"Are you kidding me?! The three of us; me, you and Adam, have come so far, and for some reason luck has been on our side throughout. Our entire alliance could reach the merge, and you're threatening to ruin it! You're nothing but an idiot for attempting this!" Arianna snapped, completely bewildered, shouting out everything that came to mind. At this, Brooke's eyes narrowed in irritation, refusing to be bullied. "Brooke, you need to start thinking of the bigger picture. If you continue to walk off with Griff and talk to him behind our backs, then you'll inevitably join an alliance with him. It can't be helped, and we can't let that happen!"

"I'm not going to join an alliance with him! I just want him to know that he's not on his own and he actually has a friend who he can confide in! It's cruel to leave him alone." Brooke said angrily, speaking her mind. Arianna folded her arms, her face reddening from anger.

"But it doesn't matter whether he has friends or not, he's going to be eliminated soon anyway!" Arianna spoke, her voice shaky, fighting back. "You making friends with him, talking to him, being nice to him, is going to give him false hope that he doesn't need! Either way he's going to be eliminated the next time we lose, and hope or friendship isn't going to fix that. He's better off left alone until he's voted out."

"That...that's just inhumane! I refuse to go along with everything you say, Arianna! I'm not your puppet, and I do have my own mind!" Brooke yelled, flourishing her anger to Arianna for the first time and revealing all the bottled up feelings she had been holding back for the simple reason of her disliking fights.

"Then you're a danger to the alliance." Arianna said seriously with no emotion on her face, her anger apparently completely gone. Brooke's eyes widened slightly, but she refused to back down. "You're completely off the rails, Brooke, and I'm starting to think that maybe the alliance would be better off without you. You'd better fix your ways soon, and stop talking to Griff, or else you're out."

Brooke, too angry for words, stood upright quickly and stared at Arianna in silence, seething at her ally. Then, in one quick turn, Brooke spun on her heels and started walking away from Arianna, sick of her constant belittling. Arianna, equally annoyed, looked at the dishes still to be washed and stood up.

"You haven't finished doing the dishes yet, Brooke! You've left them all to me, not that it's a surprise! Leaving them all to one person isn't a very good sign of a true alliance member, is it?!" Arianna called, but Brooke ignored her mockery and departed into the woods.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"That's it! That's the last straw! I'm sick of being pushed around and bullied by Arianna! Ever since I first joined an alliance with her...no, ever since i first _met_ her I've had a bad feeling about her! I should've just followed my gut in the first place...but now, Hudson and Dale are gone." Brooke muttered, folding her arms. "But I still have a chance. Griff's bound to join my side, because of what Arianna did to him, and even though it would take a lot...I think I could persuade Adam, and take Arianna down."**

 **...**

Brooke was stalking through the forest, her mind filled with angry thoughts and her eyes seeing red, headed in the direction of the lake that had helped her to relax multiple times in the past. As she broke out into the respective clearing, her eyes immediately laid on Griff, who was sitting there in silence. Feeling her anger start to die down upon seeing him, Brooke walked towards him and slowly sat down next to him.

"Hey Griff." She acknowledged, flashing him a genuine smile. Griff smiled back, which made Brooke feel slightly happier about the entire situation - at least she had a friend on her side.

However, no conversation emanated as both of them had multiple things on their minds which required thought, and instead they listened to the gentle crashing of the lake's waters against the ground, and the occasional bird calls. Brooke, the silence causing her to start thinking about Arianna, began to get angry again and felt her cheeks beginning to redden. Eventually, out of nowhere, she reached breaking point and angrily smashed a fist into the lake, splashing water onto them and resulting in Griff becoming startled.

He glanced at Brooke, and noticed that she had her legs pressed up to her chest and her arms wrapped over them, her gaze secured on the lake and her face black like thunder. In her eyes was a mix of sadness and anger. Feeling concern for her, Griff reluctantly moved his hand forward and placed it on Brooke's leg in an attempt to comfort her. Surprised, she looked up at him.

"I meant to thank you for yesterday, Brooke, but at the time I didn't realise how lucky I was that you actually came over to me to comfort me. Thank you for helping me feel better about Hudson's elimination, and thank you...for motivating me again. I know how easy it could've been to simply stay with Arianna and Adam and ignore me completely, but you actually...went out of your way to disobey them, and for that I'm grateful. If you didn't do that...I'd probably have lost all hope at this point." Griff said, smiling slightly, averting his gaze from Brooke due to him feeling slightly awkward about the current situation. Brooke continued to look at him, smiling back. "So, it's only fair that...if _you_ ever need anything...you know where I am. You can always talk to me."

"...Thanks, Griff." Brooke said, trying to make herself sound as cheerful as possible. As she thought about what he just said, Brooke stared into the waters, before deciding to reveal what was on her mind. "...I...I do have something on my mind..."

"I thought so." Griff said with a smirk, causing Brooke to giggle a bit. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm not in an alliance with Arianna anymore. Adam too, most likely." Brooke admitted bluntly, shocking Griff so badly that he was stunned into silence. After thinking for a few moments, he could only think of one thing to say in response.

"Why?"

"Well, while we were washing the dishes from yesterday, Arianna just started ripping into me for so many things and completely and utterly humiliating me. That's not what a friend should be like, and I'm not going to stay in their alliance if she treats me like dirt, even if it does risk my safety. I finally had enough of her, so I walked off." Brooke explained, feeling her face heating up from frustration once again. "So, it isn't exactly official that I've left the alliance, but I never want to work with her again. She's completely awful."

"I can agree with that." Griff said in agreement, nodding his head. "But what are you going to do now? If you're not in an alliance, you're extremely vulnerable, and Arianna and Adam will probably try to pick you off like vultures in some petty attempt at revenge. They'll be even worse as we go into the merge."

"I'm not intending on that happening. Instead of constantly watching my back for Arianna and Adam during the merge, I'd rather just be rid of them before it. That way, I'd feel way safer during the merge itself." Brooke said, folding her arms.

"But how are you going to accomplish it? I'd understand your plan if there were more of us in the tribe, but there's only four, and half of them are Arianna and Adam themselves, and the former is still in control of the tribe." Griff said, unsure if he was in support of Brooke's plan. Brooke stayed silent for a moment in thought, before turning to look at Griff.

"Griff...will you be my ally?" Brooke asked nervously, shocking Griff greatly. Noticing his expression and realising he wasn't expecting it, Brooke continued. "To tell you the truth, I've never enjoyed being in an alliance with Arianna and Adam. I've only done it for safety. I'd much rather be in an alliance with you. This way, you can get revenge on Arianna for Hudson and watch that smirk finally get wiped off her face!"

"..." Griff stayed silent as he thought about this, weighing the pros and cons, before giving Brooke a nod which caused her to smile in relief. However, there was still one concern on his mind. "But how are we going to eliminate Arianna? Even with the two of us together, we still only make up half of the entire tribe, and the other half is in a firm alliance. I don't want it to have to fall to a tiebreaker, especially since luck hasn't exactly been on my side lately."

"I don't want it to go to a tiebreaker either." Brooke agreed, shaking her head. "Which is why I'm going to try and persuade Adam to join our side and vote out Arianna."

"I don't know if that's even possible." Griff murmured honestly.

"You're definitely right about it being tough, but I feel that I might be able to pull it off if I'm careful enough with my words. Besides, at this point it's our best bet, because we don't want it to have to depend on a tiebreaker and we definitely don't want to try and recruit Arianna who would inevitably betray us." Brooke said, tapping the bottom of her chin in thought, and Griff nodded in agreement.

"It's definitely our best choice, even if it isn't a very good one." Griff said, when suddenly a final thought popped into his head. "Wait, what are we going to do with Adam after we eliminate Arianna, if our plan works?"

"..." Brooke fell silent, not because she was unsure of what to say, but because she was worried of what Griff would think of her after she said it. She took a deep breath. "After we eliminate Arianna...we're going to drop Adam."

"What?!" Griff cried out in an outburst, unable to prevent himself from shouting out. Brooke, expecting this reaction, turned her gaze to the lake.

"After we eliminate Arianna...we would lose the next immunity challenge on purpose and eliminate Adam. That way, we would eliminate the only two threats we have against us going into the merge, giving us a clean slate to form new alliances with nobody there to twist our words or target us because of grudges." Brooke explained thoughtfully.

"B-but, what would we do if Adam also got to the merge?" Griff stammered, still unable to process what Brooke suggested.

"If Adam made it to the merge..." Brooke began, before taking another deep breath and turning to face her new ally, her expression the most serious Griff had ever seen on her face. "We would throw him to the wolves, throw him under the bus, whisper bad things to other people about him behind his back, lie about him, do literally anything possible to secure his elimination before he could do the same to us. Griff, it's getting closer to the merge, closer than we think, and we seriously need to start focusing on our games. Keeping Adam in our alliance would definitely _not_ work out. We have to betray him, and I think you know that."

Despite still being incredibly shocked at Brooke's words, Griff understood that she was right and he nodded firmly. Moving closer, Brooke took Griff's hands in hers and gave him a genuine smile, which he returned.

"I think everything will go to plan, Griff. No...I'm sure of it. Soon, Arianna and Adam will be out of the game, and our lives, forever." Brooke said softly, reassuring Griff and giving him hope.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"Well, it looks like I'm not on my own after all, thanks to Brooke. After Hudson was eliminated, I had completely given up hope...I was on my own, against three people who I thought hated me. But now, out of nowhere, I'm part of an alliance, which takes up half of the entire tribe! If Brooke manages to persuade Adam to join our side...my safety into the merge is guaranteed!" Griff exclaimed joyfully, giving the camera a cheerful grin. "It's crazy how quickly this game can change..."**

 **...**

Walking through the woods, completely unaware of her ally's sneaky scheming, was Arianna. For the last twenty minutes, she had been turning the camp and their shelter upside down in search of Adam, worried that Brooke was going to try and tear him away from her and use him to gain majority and eliminate her.

She soon broke into a clearing and, noticing Adam standing in the centre, collecting firewood, she breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that Brooke probably hadn't even thought about it yet. Arianna briskly walked up to him and stood behind him for a few moments in silence, thinking about what to say.

"Adam, we have a problem." Arianna said bluntly, folding her arms. Adam glanced behind his shoulder to look at her, and Arianna noticed suspicion in his eyes despite no expression being on his face.

"How could we possibly have a problem?" Adam asked her, sounding disinterested, as he crouched down to pick up yet another log of wood. "We're part of a three person alliance which rules over the entire tribe, and the only person who could potentially stand in our way at the moment is Griff, and he isn't even motivated enough to eat a meal, never mind try and break us up."

"...Brooke." Arianna said simply, feeling uncomfortable.

Hearing this, Adam immediately sighed and dropped the many logs of wood he was holding, allowing them to crash to the ground. He stood upright and walked over to Arianna, standing only a few inches away from her, feeling irritated.

"I knew I should have stopped her from talking to Griff yesterday. If you didn't stop me, we wouldn't have this problem." Adam muttered in annoyance. Arianna gasped slightly before narrowing her eyes in frustration.

"Well, I've done it now, and unless you have a time machine which can take us both back to yesterday, I couldn't care less about your stupid 'I told you so's'!" Arianna shouted back angrily. "Instead of spending our _valuable_ time focusing on the past, and the things we can't change, we should be thinking of a plan to make sure we stay in power! We can't let the rats scurry past us and take control!"

"There's no need to worry, Arianna. As long as you or I don't suddenly up and switch sides, which I find extremely unlikely, then there's no way Brooke and Griff can get enough votes to eliminate one of us." Adam stated reasonably, not nearly as worried about the situation as Arianna was.

"It would still result in a tiebreaker, which one of us could lose, you idiot!" Arianna shouted furiously, starting to become extremely irritated with Adam's carelessness. She pointed at Adam as she continued to rant. "You need to start caring soon, or else one of us is gonna be eliminated!"

"Then what do you propose we do?" Adam asked, also beginning to get angry with his ally's attitude. As he spoke, he gave Arianna a glare, his tone still cool and collected despite his face evidently showing otherwise. "There's no possible way of persuading Griff to join our side because we eliminated Hudson, and after your stupid argument with Brooke there's an almost zero percent chance of her joining back with us."

"...There's only one thing we can do." Arianna spoke, her anger suddenly vanishing and being replaced by a straight face, which made Adam feel slightly unnerved. He stared at her in silence, waiting for her to elaborate, and as he did he noticed the corners of Arianna's lips flick up slightly in a smirk. "We need to turn Brooke and Griff against each other."

"...How are we going to accomplish that?" Adam said with a small sigh, expecting something much cleverer. "Brooke and Griff, right now, probably trust each other more than anyone else trusts anybody in the entire game, and they _definitely_ don't trust you or I. Anything we claim will probably be shot down straight away as a lie, which'll make us seem even less trustwort-"

"Do you want to win?!" Arianna interrupted with a snap, looking at Adam, her tone furious. Slightly surprised at her having interrupted him, Adam nodded in response to her rudely asked question. "Then we _have_ to find a way to turn them against each other, because if we don't we're both going to be eliminated. You cant expect me to constantly hold your hand!"

With that, Arianna turned around and stormed away from the scene, having nothing more to say to her ally. Adam watched her leave, no expression on his face, but inside he was angry, no, furious, at everybody on his tribe - Arianna, Griff, and especially Brooke for betraying him.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"My tribe is full of idiots! I've known since day one that Brooke and Griff are completely braindead, but I thought that Adam, at the very least, had some shred of intelligence! It was the only reason I chose to string him along, but he's just as stupid as the other two! Now, because of their stupidity, I'm losing control!" Arianna screamed furiously, grabbing at her hair, her face black like thunder as she thought about what was happening in the tribe and how different it was to just a few days ago. "Everything's going wrong!"**

 **...**

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Miles)_**

The power alliance, which consisted of Connor, Jackie and Oswald, were sitting by the campfire in a circular formation, with Miles and Scar seemingly nowhere to be seen at the moment. Oswald looked at his two allies, giving them a smile.

"I just wanted to congratulate the two of you on surviving the elimination. It was a close one, but luckily all three of us pulled through and because of that we now have power in the tribe." Oswald said happily, with a proud tone in his voice. Hearing this, Jackie nodded in agreement, beaming.

"I agree. I'm absolutely ecstatic about us being in control!" Jackie admitted, a wide cheerful smile on her face. "It's a lovely feeling, knowing that no matter what we're going to be safe for at the very least the next two eliminations."

"The three of us are almost guaranteed to move on to the merge, and we're probably going to be in quite a good position because we'll be part of one of the largest alliances in the game." Connor acknowledged, just as happy as his two allies. Oswald gave Connor a nod, but his happy expression seemed to fade away as a thought crossed his mind.

"That's true, but even though we have complete control of the tribe and we're in a strong, secure alliance, our work is still far from complete and we can't let out defences down, not even for a second. We still have a lot we need to discuss in this tribe." Oswald said ominously, and Connor and Jackie looked at him, both of their expressions betraying slight confusion. "We still have two people in this tribe who aren't part of the alliance; Scar and Miles, and we need to decide whether we want to eliminate them, or recruit them to join our numbers."

"Hmmm..." Jackie mumbled as she tapped the bottom of her chin, thinking about what her ally just inferred. "Well, it would definitely raise our numbers if we recruited both Scar and Miles, there's no doubt about that, and it would definitely make us the largest alliance in the game, probably by a long shot. But...I'm not sure if I could handle being in an alliance with Scar again, after what I did to him and Jayna. I'd always be worried about what he's doing behind my back, worried about him plotting with other people to eliminate me without me knowing, betraying me, all for revenge for Jayna."

"I agree with Jayna." Connor said quickly, looking at Jackie and nodding before turning to Oswald. "I don't want to be in an alliance with Scar either because, frankly, I think his silence is really creepy and I find myself constantly wondering what plotting and scheming's going on in his head. I don't trust him at all."

"...Okay then, we won't invite Scar to the alliance." Oswald said after considering what both of them said for a few moments. "If we lose, we'll eliminate him first, just as a precaution to make sure he doesn't have any opportunity to get rid of Jackie first, because it seems that right now Scar's way more of a threat to us than Miles is."

"Talking about Miles..." Connor spoke as soon as Oswald finished speaking so nobody else could cut in before him and change the subject. "What are we going to do about him? Are we going to eliminate both him and Scar, or do we think Miles is trustworthy enough to bring into our alliance? I haven't talked to him that much at all, so I don't really know what to say."

"I haven't talked to him much either." Jackie admitted, and as soon as she finished both hers and Connor's eyes drifted to Oswald, as they both knew that he likely knew the most about Miles from his multiple conversations with him. "What do you think, Oswald? You're in the best position to talk about Miles."

"..." Oswald stayed silent as he thought about what to say, multiple answers forming in his mind before dissipating into nothing as he decided not to use them. Eventually, he decided on what to say and he looked up at Jackie and Connor who were staring at him expectantly. "Well, based on my conversations with him, and the insight I've been able to have into his personality, Miles appears to be an incredibly sneaky, devious and manipulative contestant, who won't stop until he gets what he wants, along with also being intelligent."

"...Wait, does this mean...that we should eliminate Miles as soon as possible?" Connor mumbled uncomfortably, the thought of someone Oswald described being part of his alliance making him feel nervous and worried. "He might be dangerous."

"I agree that it likely means that Miles is quite dangerous, maybe even the most dangerous person in the game. Because of that, I'm unsure whether we should eliminate him, so we can be rid of him and not have to worry about him, or if we should take a risk and recruit him as he would probably be a very useful ally, but at the risk of him betraying us." Oswald said, weighing the options.

"Well, in my opinion, it all depends on whether Miles reaches the merge or not." Jackie spoke up, and her two allies looked at her. "For now, I don't think we should align with him just in case we lose more than one immunity challenge while we're still in this tribe, as that way we can eliminate him without us feeling guilty or him feeling betrayed. But...if he gets to the merge...then we should definitely align with him. I'd rather have someone like him, manipulative, deceitful, strategic, intelligent, on my side rather than against me."

"...No, I don't agree with that." Connor disagreed bluntly, shaking his head. "I think we should just eliminate Miles and get rid of him full stop. I don't want someone incredibly cunning on my alliance, because the likelihood is he would be planning things for the future with people outside of our alliance, and...that's not what a trustworthy ally should be doing."

"Well, there's only one person who can settle this." Jackie said to Connor, before turning back to Oswald, who had been listening intently and cautiously to both of them and their cases. "I want Oswald to join the alliance after the merge, but Connor wants to eliminate him. You're the swing vote, Oswald. What do you think we should do?"

At this question, Oswald fell silent in thought, his mind swimming with contradicting opinions, filled with reasons for allowing Miles into their main alliance along with reasons going against this. He stared at his allies as he continued to think, knowing his decision would change many things in the game in the future.

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"This certainly is a dilemma. Miles definitely is a huge threat, and potentially the only contestant so far who I've met who rivals my cunning tendencies. If we recruit him, he'll no doubt be thinking of plans further than our alliance, with the other competitors, and I'm unsure if I'm willing to risk that. On the other hand, with both myself and Miles in one alliance, and if he remained completely loyal, I'm sure we could dominate the rest of the competition." Oswald spoke to himself, in deep thought. "Then again, there's that promise I made with him yesterday...but whether or not I'm willing to uphold it, I don't know yet."**

 **...**

"...To tell the truth, I'm unsure yet what to think. Miles is incredibly mysterious, and probably keeps his plans in his mind, locked away from the rest of us so we don't find out what they entail. So, I'd like to observe Miles more and try to understand him a bit better before I make a decision on whether we should eliminate him or ask him to join the alliance." Oswald explained to Jackie and Connor who, after a small silence to take in what he said, gave him a nod of understanding.

...

Miles himself, not realising he was such a large topic of conversation for the alliance was deep in the woods, trekking through the overgrown bushes and clumps of thick grass as he continued on the path to his destination. After a few minutes of walking through the darkness and almost thinking he went the wrong way, Miles eventually broke out into a small clearing with a large, thick, tall tree dead in the centre.

As soon as he arrived, he recognised it as Scar and Jayna's regular alliance meet-up area and instantly looked up, peering at the top of the tree and noticing Scar sitting on the tree branch he usually sat on. Knowing he was there, Miles leaned against the tree and looked up.

"It really is disappointing about Jayna's elimination, isn't it?" Miles said with a small sigh. He noticed that Scar looked down at him with no emotion on his face before adjusting his head to look back up at the sky. "The worst part is, it's all because her main, most trusted ally...didn't trust her in return."

"It's not that I didn't trust her, it's because I didn't trust you." Scar spoke slowly in a monotone voice as he looked back down at Miles. Despite him trying not to show it, Miles noticed that he had touched a nerve, as when Scar looked at him he could see a small spark of irritation in his eyes. Because of that spark of irritation, Miles couldn't help smirking slightly.

"Well, you still lost your only ally because of it. Your only true ally, anyway; Jackie and I were never truly part of your alliance." Miles admitted, continuing to look up at Scar, when he realised that the quiet teenager had gone back to ignoring him. He would have to change tactics if he wanted to gain his attention. "...I wonder how betrayed and humiliated Jayna felt when she realised that the only reason, well, the only true reason she was eliminated was because you didn't vote with her...oh well, I suppose we'll never find out, as we're never going to see her aga-"

"Did you have an actual reason to come and see me, Miles, or was it just to mock me?" Scar interrupted, betraying slight irritation in his voice. Miles gave him a small nod.

"I came to give you some advice." Miles revealed, as Scar continued to look at him. "If you really want to stay in the game, you need to raise your social game, Scar. Do you think the majority of the contestants still competing would rather take through somebody quiet and unnerving who spends all their time on the island up in a tree away from everyone, or somebody social and talkative who actually makes attempts at forming alliances and improving their game?"

"...Why are you even bothering to give me advice?" Scar asked Miles, slightly confused. "Don't you have better things to do with your time? Like attempting to get into the alliance and get under their skin so you'll be accepted into it and be guaranteed safety?"

At this, Miles shook his head.

"No, there's no point in me trying to do that. The three of them are happy the way they are, at least for the moment, and the likelihood is for the rest of the time we spend in this tribe, up until the merge, they aren't going to accept any new people or believe false claims of them betraying each other. It just doesn't make sense to be sneaky and betray your alliance when you're in such a good position with them, and none of them would buy it." Miles explained logically. "The only thing I can do...is persuade them to keep me over you whenever we lose."

"...Why are you telling me this?" Scar asked obscurely, feeling slightly confused but not showing it, refusing to reveal weakness to someone as sneaky and devious as Miles. "Why don't you just keep it a secret? It makes it way easier to eliminate me if you don't tell me about your plans."

"Because...I like a fight." Miles said ominously before turning around swiftly and slowly leaving the clearing, disappearing from Scar's sight.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"What I said to Scar, about Oswald's alliance being too trusting of each other to be manipulated, was a lie. I simply said that to prevent him from attempting what I'm going to attempt - causing distrust between them. That alliance has plenty of weaknesses, and I intend to take advantage of them." Miles said deviously, but with no expression on his face. "It would be a wasted opportunity not to."**

 **...**

 **Reward Challenge**

"Welcome, everybody!" Chris greeted as the fifteen contestants walked into the challenge area, one less than the previous day. "As you may have noticed already, Jayna was eliminated yesterday on the Serenity Tribe, and Hudson was eliminated on the Sand Tribe."

Not many people paid attention to this information, however, as they were eager to get started with the challenge.

The contestants noticed that in the distance, in the ocean, was a square-shaped wooden structure, which was basically four long sticks tied together with more wood underneath to hold them above the water. Nothing else could be seen, causing every contestant to wonder what they would have to do.

"In this challenge, four members from each tribe will have to stand in a line, with rope attached from one person's back to the next person's front, tying all of them together. They will have to race around this square and try to catch the tribe in front of them, who are trying to run away. If the person at the front of a tribe catches a person at the back of a tribe, then that tribe will have to choose a member of their team to be eliminated from the challenge. This continues until every member of two tribes have been eliminated, leaving one tribe standing." Chris explained.

"Now, because the number of contestants in the tribes aren't equal, two members from the Sand Tribe and one member from the Serenity Tribe must sit out. Remember, the contestants chosen to sit out in this challenge must compete in the immunity challenge tomorrow." Chris continued.

After short strategic discussion, it was decided that Ingrid and Rebekah would sit out for the Sand Tribe, and Jackie would sit out for the Serenity Tribe.

"Now, would you all like to see what you're fighting for?" Chris asked ominously, with a grin on his face. The contestants erupted into excited cheers, all of them in desperate want for this prize. Chris walked over to a wooden box that was sitting in the sand a few feet away from him and whipped off the blanket on top to reveal a variation of meat. "The winning tribe will win some new tastes they haven't eaten in a long time! They will win fresh chicken, beef, pork, turkey and many more! You'll all want this prize, as I'm sure you're getting sick of the fish."

With everybody's mouths salivating at the thought of eating something other than fish, the twelve contestants competing in the challenge stood in a rope line and carefully waded into the water until they arrived at the square, and suddenly realised with a start how deep the water was. Would they really be able to outrun the other tribes?

The klaxon soon went off, immediately dispersing the thoughts from their minds as they broke into a run, crashing through the water as they made their way around the square in hot pursuit of the other tribes.

Straight away, they realised that the speed variations would be a problem. Gabby, who was extremely quick on her feet even in water, had dashed forward and accidentally yanked Sasha, who was quite slow, through the water, causing her to fall underneath and slowing the tribe down considerably.

"Okay guys, we need to work together here." Kevin said nervously as he glanced behind his shoulder to see the Serenity Tribe working well, getting closer to them with every second. Sasha quickly emerged from the water, coughing and spluttering, and the tribe slowed down slightly as they continued to work their way around the square.

The four competing members of the Serenity Tribe, all of them being quite fast, were easily striding through the water and immediately were shown to be the strongest tribe in this type of challenge. With every second, they crept closer and closer to the struggling Sand Tribe before they were only inches away.

Miles, who was in the lead, knew they were in his grasp and he leapt forward to grab Zane. However, he forgot that he was tied to his teammates and as soon as he jumped forward he was instantly violently pulled back, causing him to crash into the water and accidentally hit into Oswald, who also fell in, allowing the Sand Tribe to escape temporarily.

The Sky Tribe, even though every member was quite athletic or agile in some way, were clumsily running through the water and tripping occasionally due to their varying speeds. Arianna, after falling over for the third time, groaned in annoyance.

"We need that meat! I've eaten fish so much I feel like I'm turning into one!" She cried out as the team continued to run.

For the next few minutes of the challenge, the three tribes continued to race around the square, inching closer to their targets before falling behind over and over again, before fatigue began to set in and their running became slower; less stride in their steps.

Due to this, contestants began to fall left and right. The first tribe to be caught was the Sand Tribe, and after a very brief discussion it was decided that Sasha, being the shortest and weakest, would be eliminated from the challenge. As the timid girl began her long and tiring swim back to shore, the decision proved to be beneficial for the Sand Tribe as Kevin, Zane and Gabby suddenly burst ahead.

In just a few moments, they had caught up to the shocked Sky Tribe, who decided that Adam would be eliminated from the challenge. However, when the three remaining members of the Sky Tribe tried to burst away and escape, their focus became cluttered and Arianna, who was running ahead, forgot about her two teammates and was pulled forcefully back, colliding into both Brooke and Griff and resulting in all three of them clumsily hitting the water and allowing the Sand Tribe to catch them again. This time, despite her intense objections, Arianna was eliminated from the challenge.

With Arianna and Adam gone, Brooke and Griff improved massively and became the fastest tribe in the challenge by far, easily catching up to the Serenity Tribe twice and causing them to eliminate Connor and Oswald.

With less people slowing them down, Miles and Scar worked well together to glide through the water and catch up to the three members of the Sand Tribe within seconds, eliminating Kevin.

With only two people remaining on each tribe, every contestant still fighting were wading as fast as they could through the water, trying to ignore the growing pain in their leg muscles as they desperately attempted to catch their fleeing targets.

"Oh my goodness...this is exhausting..." Brooke groaned, feeling sweat dripping from her brow. She realised that she had begun to slow down and nervously looked behind her shoulder to see Miles and Scar approaching at a quick pace. "They're catching up, Griff!"

"Just keep running! Don't give up!" Griff motivated her as he gritted his teeth, continuing to pound through the water quickly, making up almost all of his tribe's speed at that moment as Brooke was beginning to severely lag behind. Upon hearing this, Brooke looked at Griff's back and smiled, knowing that her attempts at motivating him the previous night had worked.

Taking a deep breath, Brooke ran as fast as she could, keeping her balance steady. Noticing that Miles and Scar were just behind her and Miles was reaching out to grab her, Brooke swiftly ducked underneath his arm, causing him to lose his balance and tumble into the water. Making the most of this lucky strike, Brooke and Griff made their departure and were soon a good distance away.

Unfortunately for the Serenity Tribe, by the time Miles had got back to his feet and they continued wading, the two members of the Sand Tribe had lunged forward and caught Scar. Miles, knowing that Scar was better suited to the challenge than him, decided to be eliminated from the challenge, leaving Scar alone.

"This'll be easy, just keep up the pace!" Zane instructed Gabby with a determined smirk as the two raced towards Scar. Surprisingly, the silent competitor instantly broke into a fast run, outpacing the two within seconds.

"Aaah!" Brooke screamed in horror as Scar practically dived onto her, catching her. Once she emerged from the water, she looked at Griff. "I'll be eliminated. I know you can do this, Griff; good luck!"

Griff gave her a quick nod before striding through the water, ignoring the increasingly louder crashes of water coming from behind him that symbolised Scar's pursuit. With determination in his eyes, he got closer and closer to Zane and Gabby who were beginning to struggle with their varying speeds.

As expected, Griff caught them and Zane was eliminated, leaving just one member from each tribe left to fight for the reward.

As soon as Zane was left, the entire challenge came down to the fastest contestant still competing for their tribe. The water slowed all three down considerably, but all of them were still trying their absolute hardest as they rotated around the square over and over again, getting closer to their target before exhaustion began to kick in and they fell behind again.

Soon, the first contestant fell.

Despite putting up a good fight, Griff was soon caught by Scar and thus the Sky Tribe was eliminated from the challenge. Upon hearing Griff's scream of shock, Gabby stopped running for a moment and locked eyes with Scar. Both of them realised that they wouldn't give up, and they would have to run as fast as they ever had if they wanted to catch the other contestant.

Then, the two started crashing through the water, moving around the square time and time again, seemingly making no progress. However, after a few minutes, the spurt of determination fuelling their energy began to die down and they became slower and slower before eventually they were tiredly walking around the square, dragging their bodies by means of the sticks.

Their tribes screamed motivating from the shore, clapping and whooping, but it didn't make them faster. They were completely wiped of energy, and it now became down to who gave up first.

That person was Scar.

Thinking that he was a good distance away from Gabby, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath and attempt to regain some strength in his legs. However, as soon as he stopped walking, Gabby saw this as her opportunity and she broke into a run.

By the time Scar realised, it was too late. Gabby grabbed him, determining the Serenity Tribe's loss and the Sand Tribe's victory.

Noticing this, Sasha, Ingrid, Zane, Kevin and Rebekah cheered joyfully, clapping for their successful teammate while the Serenity Tribe sighed despondently, their dreams of tasting something different having completely flown out the window.

"Congratulations, Sand Tribe! You won the challenge, and therefore you will receive their box of meat! There's plenty of it, but I suggest you ration wisely or else you'll be back to the fish pretty quickly!" Chris informed, and the members of the Sand Tribe nodded eagerly as Kevin and Zane picked up the box and removed the blanket, staring at the meat happily. The host turned to the losing tribes. "Sky Tribe and Serenity Tribe, you have lost the reward challenge and thus you will be heading back to your camps empty-handed. But don't be demotivated! Maybe the lack of reward will fuel your determination to win the immunity challenge? Who knows? But for now, all of you head back to your camps. I'll see you tomorrow for the immunity challenge."

With that, the fifteen contestants bid farewell to the host and their rivals before heading back in the direction of their camps, one tribe ecstatic and joyful with the challenge's results while the other two were disappointed and irritated with themselves.

 **Sky Tribe _(Arianna, Griff, Adam and Brooke)_**

Arianna entered the camp, having walked back from the reward challenge which their tribe failed to win. Looking around, she noticed that for some reason, Brooke and Adam were nowhere to be seen, and the only member of the tribe visible was Griff, who was sitting by the campfire, occasionally carefully placing a log into the growing flames to make it last. A plan formulating in her mind, Arianna slowly began walking over to him and reached the campfire, sitting down by him.

Upon seeing her, Griff immediately stood up and began to walk away, not in the mood to talk to Arianna and suffer through her petty mockery. However, when he had walked about a metre away, Arianna leaned back and grabbed his hand, causing Griff to turn around.

"We need to talk." Arianna said ominously, almost in a sinister way. Griff rolled his eyes.

"What can you possibly need to talk about with me? We both know where we stand with each other, and that can't be helped. To tell the truth, Arianna, I can barely stand looking at you after you eliminated Hudson and practically ruined my life in this competition." Griff muttered angrily, before roughly shaking her hand off his and continuing to walk away. Quickly, Arianna stood up and faced his back.

"I bet you feel all big and tough now that you're in an alliance again, don't you? Safe and cosy? Like you can do anything?" Arianna shouted after him in a mocking way, and she noticed that as soon as she finished speaking Griff stopped dead in his tracks, and stood completely still. Arianna smirked deviously as she realised that she was spot on with her idea of Brooke aligning with Griff. Griff slowly turned around and began to walk back.

"How do you know about that?" Griff asked, clearly suspicious, his voice serious. Arianna feigned shock, as if she said something she shouldn't have.

"I...have no clue what you're talking about. Forget it." Arianna said, now being the one to walk away from Griff. However, he was unwilling to let it go and he grabbed Arianna's hand, realising the roles were completely switched from what they were only a minute ago.

"Tell me." He demanded. Instantly, Arianna yanked her hand away, refusing to be threatened, her eyes narrowing and her face darkening from anger.

"Isn't it obvious, Griff?! Just think about it! How _would_ I know that your in an alliance? There's only two of you in it! Obviously, Brooke has only been pretending to be your alliance member just to keep an eye on you to make sure you're not up to anything shifty! She's been reporting back to me this entire time." Arianna lied, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Griff.

Upon hearing this, a wave of anxiety crashed over Griff as he began feeling suspicious of Brooke, but after thinking about it rationally for a few seconds he realised that Arianna had to be telling a lie because if what she claimed was actually the case, she wouldn't have spilled it so quickly and would've kept it hidden from Griff.

"I don't believe you." Griff said seriously, leaning closer in to Arianna's face. The two locked eyes, and saw nothing but hate and anger in both. Griff moved back. "You must've just guessed that Brooke and I are in an alliance."

With that, Griff started walking away from Arianna for the third time. The girl spun around and watched him get further and further away, starting to feel desperate and nervous.

"Brooke's using you! She's manipulating you!" Arianna cried in pure desperation, but Griff blatantly ignored her, refusing to believe her lies. Within a few seconds, Griff had entered the forest and disappeared from sight.

Groaning angrily to herself, Arianna kicked a pile of sand and sent it flying into the ocean as she realised that she could've played that a lot better than she did, and she really needed to start focusing or else so she would soon be eliminated.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"So this is Arianna and Adam's plan...to try and separate Brooke and I? Well, they should've known from the beginning that it's bound not to work. Perhaps at the merge, but here, when there's only four of us in the tribe and we all know each other in and out, especially myself, Arianna and Adam as we've been together since the beginning, plans like these just aren't going to work and the two of them with their supposed intelligence should know that." Griff explained, tapping the bottom of his chin as he thought over what he was talking about to the confessional camera. "They've realised they're losing, and their plans are starting to become less thought out, and because of that they're starting to fail. No, they're _going_ to fail...and I couldn't be happier."**

 **...**

Meanwhile, Brooke was sitting inside the shelter which had been constructed from logs and branches, searching inside a small bag for her swimming clothes as she felt like having a relaxing swim in the warm ocean. Just as she found the blue, polka-dot one-piece and began pulling it out, she heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind her and she quickly turned around to see Adam entering the shelter in silence.

Realising this was likely be the best opportunity to try and persuade him to join her and Griff's side, with Arianna nowhere to be seen to intercept her words, Brooke took a deep breath to calm her nerves and walked through the small shelter towards him. Noticing her out of the corner of his eye, Adam looked at her, still not speaking.

"I need to explain why I left the alliance to you, Adam. I hope my reasons will be enough to make you realise that being in an alliance with Arianna is not healthy for you, potentially the most unhealthy thing you _can_ do, and could result in your elimination."

Adam still didn't answer, and instead stared at Brooke, awaiting her reply. Examining his face, Brooke couldn't tell whether her ex-ally was interested or not, but she decided to continue while she at least had his attention. Before she began, she reminded herself that she would have to be extremely clever, careful and cunning with her words if she wanted to persuade someone as stubborn and unwilling as Adam.

"...Arianna is nothing but a cold-hearted, cruel bully, who relishes in other people's misery and enjoys ruining things for others." Brooke began carefully, trying her hardest not to let her anger show. "She's a manipulator, and a liar, and she wouldn't resist to use her skills in that department to her advantage, and for all the wrong reasons. Friendship, or kindness, or however much they've talked to her wouldn't matter; all people look the same to her, and she's sitting above them on a throne. She would use anyone, even someone who's only ever been nice to her."

"...I already know that." Adam said after a pause, which caused Brooke to almost gasp in shock. If he knew how...pure evil Arianna was, why was he sticking with her? There were no reasons! "Do you think I'm an idiot, Brooke? Do you think I haven't noticed that Arianna isn't exactly a goody two shoes? I couldn't care less about what Arianna does, as long as it's not to me, which I find unlikely anyway, at least until later on. Besides, by then I'll already have moved on to a new alliance."

"No, I don't think you're an idiot." Brooke said, shaking her head, in an attempt to appeal to Adam. "But Arianna _would_ betray you and leave you in the dust at any point, whenever it was necessary for her. It doesn't matter whether it's today, or tomorrow, or in a week; she doesn't keep track of time and decides her betrayals based on that! She just betrays people whenever she sees a better offer, and it's inevitable that it'll happen to you, probably when you don't see it coming. It's better for you if you abandon her and join Griff and I before she does it to you with someone else."

"..." Adam quickly shook his head, almost in an irritated way, before looking at Brooke and narrowing his eyes slightly. "Just a few seconds ago, you claimed to me that you don't believe I'm an idiot. If that's the case...why are you trying to secretly pull the easiest double-crossing move possible on me?"

"W-what do you mean?" Brooke asked nervously, feeling anxiety slowly begin to creep up her body, enveloping her in a sweat of worry. Adam glared furiously at her, and Brooke could detect fire in his eyes.

"I know exactly what you and Griff would do; after eliminating Arianna, the two of you would act like the three of us are in a happy alliance, with no worries at all...and then you would throw the next immunity challenge and eliminate me, thus getting rid of your main threats entirely and leaving you with a clean slate going into the merge." Adam spoke slowly, and Brooke's eyes widened as he revealed every point of her plan without knowing anything about it.

When he was finished, Brooke was so shocked that she was completely speechless, and thus could only stare at Adam in bewilderment before turning her head to look at the ground, feeling her cheeks flush red in embarrassment as her entire plan was explained to her by somebody who wasn't even supposed to know it existed. With a feeling of dread, Brooke realised that she had failed to convince Adam to join her side, and thus he was likely more willing to stick by Arianna than ever because of it.

Then, out of nowhere, Adam slowly began to walk towards her, his footsteps slow, ominous and mysterious. When he was just a few centimetres away from her, he stared at her in absolute silence. Despite feeling nervous, Brooke managed to slowly lift up her head to meet his gaze, and it remained just like that for a few seconds.

"...I bet you felt really clever for thinking up that plan, didn't you? Like it was a perfect plan, with no flaws whatsoever." Adam muttered quietly in a mocking tone. Brooke glanced away. With a sigh, Adam shook his head. "...Pathetic."

With that, Adam walked past her and departed the shelter and the clearing it was placed in, walking into the woods in silence and disappearing from sight. After watching him leave, Brooke shoved her swimming clothes back into her bag, not in the mood for swimming in the slightest anymore.

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"Brooke isn't meant for this game. She thinks up a strategy in a few seconds, and without even thinking about the positives or negatives, she enacts it...she's bound to be eliminated soon." Adam said quietly, shaking his head. "Unless she steps up her game soon and thinks before she speaks, her only hope of surviving is joining alliances, and so far she only has one ally. In my opinion, it's inevitable that it won't be long before her name takes up the majority of the voting slips at a bonfire soon in the future."**

 **...**

About forty minutes after Arianna's attempted manipulation on Griff and ten minutes after Adam's conversation with Brooke, the latter two of both pairs were sitting by the hot flames of the campfire, waiting for the challenge to begin as it was only a few minutes away. Brooke, sighing, looked at Griff with a disappointed expression on her face.

"Sorry Griff. I couldn't persuade Adam. It seems like he's a brick wall that apparently nobody can break through except for Arianna, and I don't know why..." Brooke mumbled sadly. Smiling slightly, Griff gently touched Brooke's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"It's okay, Brooke." Griff said in support. "To tell the truth, I didn't expect much different. For some reason, Adam's far too loyal to Arianna. It'll come back to bite him eventually, and when it does he'll be sorry he didn't listen to our advice."

"Yeah..." Brooke nodded slowly, before she thought about what the future was inevitably going to entail and she worriedly looked at her ally. "But now, if we still want to get rid of Arianna, we're going to have to rely on a tiebreaker, and I'm nervous that whoever they vote for will lose, and be eliminated, and the other will be all alone against them..."

"I agree. Even though I want nothing more than to eliminate her for good and see her gone, right now I think it's far too much of a risk to throw the challenge and risk losing the tiebreaker and seeing one of us leave." Griff uttered reasonably, resulting in Brooke nodding in agreement.

At that moment, Arianna and Adam, both of them aware that the challenge was soon going to begin emerged from the trees and joined them by the campfire. As soon as they sat down, all four fell completely and utterly silent, all of them feeling the curtain of awkwardness and tension draped over them. Every few seconds, two people would accidentally lock eyes and quickly look away, embarrassed, before eventually Arianna grew sick of it and she stood up, turning to Brooke.

"Well, neither of our plans really worked out, did they?" Arianna asked miserably, rolling her eyes. Brooke looked at her.

"It looks like our loyalties to our respective alliances are just too strong to be broken. Let's just be honest here; if either alliance wants to take control of the tribe and gain majority, they're going to have to risk losing a tiebreaker. It's the only option." Brooke said with a small shrug, before switching her gaze between Arianna and Adam, suspicion in her eyes. "...Are you two willing to risk that?"

"No." Adam answered quickly, completely negating the possibility. "Risking a tiebreaker just to take control of the tribe would, frankly, be a ridiculously stupid decision. What we should be doing is focusing on winning the challenge and securing our safety, not fighting amongst ourselves. It makes more sense to work together now and get through to the merge where we can truly fight off there, with there being more possibilities and potentialities in the form of allies."

"I agree." Griff said with a small nod, before extending his arms. "Neither of the four of us want our ally to be eliminated, so why should we risk it? Instead, let's focus on actually winning the immunity challenge, not throwing it, instead of relying on luck which could go either way."

With all four of them having contributed and all four of them agreeing with the main suggestion, all four looked at each other and nodded, signifying their promise to work together and try their hardest to win the immunity challenge, saving them from potential elimination.

 **Serenity Tribe _(Connor, Jackie, Oswald, Scar and Miles)_**

Miles walked into the camp, feeling the sunlight, which was no longer blocked by the leaves on the trees, shining on his face and instantly warming him up. Looking around with squinted eyes because of how bright it currently was, he spotted Connor standing about four metres away from the shore, in the ocean, looking around carefully and seemingly concentrated.

Miles started walking over to him, and as he got closer he realised that the reason for Connor being in the ocean was that he was fishing using the makeshift fishing pole they had been using almost since the beginning. He was stabbing it forcefully into the water every few seconds, mostly coming up with no results but occasionally retrieving the stick from the water with a fish on the end of it.

"Hey Connor." Miles greeted politely with a kind smile on his face, standing at the edge of the water, just beyond the waves, watching him fish. Surprised at heaing a voice, Connor lost concentration completely and turned to face Miles.

"Oh, hi Miles!" Connor greeted back cheerfully, trying to ignore the bad feeling he was starting to have as he remembered Oswald's description of what he believed Miles to be. Miles, still smiling, switched his gaze from Connor's face to the makeshift fishing pole, then the water, and finally the four fish he currently had on the sandy floor.

"You must be really talented at catching fish, Connor. Somehow managing to get four fish with pretty much just a stick is really amazing." Miles complimented, genuinely surprised at his skill.

"Oh...thanks, haha..." Connor answered sheepishly, feeling his cheeks turning red from embarrassment at the flattery. He looked at the makeshift fishing pole. "It isn't as good as a regular fishing pole, but it gets the job done, I suppose...I still wish we won those fishing poles from the reward challenge a few days ago, though. It would've made this so much easier. When I use this method I usually have to stay in the water for a few hours until I get enough fish I think is suitable."

"Mhm. Yeah, it would definitely make it a lot simpler..." Miles said in agreement, giving Connor a nod, as he furrowed his brow. Thinking of something to help Connor with, he changed his view from the sharp stick back to the person holding it. "I think I have a tip that might help you. Instead of waiting for shadows to appear in the water, and stabbing randomly at the waves based on where they move, which is quite difficult in the first place as it's only possible to see the shadows when they come close, it might be easier to stand as still as possible and wait to feel the ripples from the water that you're able to feel whenever something is swimming close to you. Then, stab your stick in that direction."

"...Okay, I'll try it." Connor said, slowly nodding his head in understanding.

Both of them fell silent as Connor froze his entire body up as much as he could despite the gentle current dragging him to and fro. It was peaceful and quiet for a few seconds, when suddenly Connor felt the slightest of movements against his right leg, and quick as a flash he turned and thrust his stick into the ocean. With a deep breath, he pulled it out and gasped in amazement to see a fish wriggling violently on the end of it. Joyfully, he turned to look at Miles, who also appeared to be just as happy.

"Thanks, Miles! I probably have enough for now." Connor said, emerging from the water, his lower half dripping.

He fell down onto the sand next to a metal bucket, and began placing the fish laying on the sand into it extremely carefully, as they were incredibly slippery. Miles sat down next to him, helping him. Connor looked up at him and smiled, and found himself beginning to question whether Oswald was truly right about what he said about Miles because, to him, he actually seemed to be a nice, generous person.

"Jayna's elimination was a shock, wasn't it?" Miles spoke, seemingly just making conversation while keeping his true intentions well hidden from Connor. As he nodded in agreement, Miles continued. "I never would've guessed that the entire elimination was orchestrated by Oswald, and everything that happened was his plan from the beginning. Along with that, I'm surprised that the entire thing actually went so smoothly - with so many potential weaknesses, I was sure that something was bound to go wrong. He certainly is ambitious."

Completely stunned at what Miles just said, specifically the fact that he was acting as if he was involved himself, Connor paused from placing fish in the bucket and slowly turned to look at Miles, who was continuing to casually put fish in the metal bucket as if he hadn't said anything wrong.

"What do you mean?" Connor asked, slightly unnerved, trying his hardest to keep the fear and worry out of his voice. Miles, feigning shock, looked at Connor with wide eyes.

"What...? I thought you knew, or at the very least Oswald would've told you about it after the elimination." Miles said slowly, in a confused manner, realising that Connor still looked incredibly shocked. "Well, since you're in an alliance with him, I'll tell you, because allies shouldn't keep secrets hidden from other allies. The entire elimination and its events were all planned by Oswald. I don't know how he did it, but he told me what he expected before it began and, somehow, everything he said actually worked out, including him asking me to use my immunity idol."

This was a blatant lie, but Connor was too confused and focused on what Miles was saying that the thought of him telling fables didn't even cross his mind for a second.

"N-no...I had absolutely no idea that Oswald had planned the entire thing..." Connor mumbled, stuttering, sinking deeper and deeper into Miles' trickery. All of a sudden, Connor thought of something and he looked at Miles in silence, almost as if he didn't want to say it, before eventually starting to speak the worries on his mind. "Did...did Oswald also plan the fact that we had a tiebreaker? Did he know we were going to have one?"

"..." Miles fell silent for a few moments, and within those few solitary moments of silence Connor could feel his heart pulsing throughout his entire body as he dreaded the worst. Finally, Miles gave a small nod, resulting in wave over wave of fear and anxiety to constantly crash over Connor. "Oswald knew that you and Jayna were going to be in the tiebreaker, and he was hoping that you would pull through but, according to him, it 'wasn't a big deal' if you lost and were eliminated because he knew that either way he would still hold majority in the tribe."

Stunned into silence, Connor looked at the sand, feeling humiliated, betrayed, upset and a hundred other emotions he couldn't even describe. In just a few seconds, Connor had gone from feeling hopeful that he was safe and secure in his alliance, with two trusted allies, to vulnerable, weak and alone.

"But it doesn't mean that you should dislike Oswald, or distrust him." Miles said quickly, noticing Connor's upset expression and using that to further manipulate him. "I'm sure Oswald wants the best for you and Jackie. I thought you already knew about the plan, and you were happy to go through with it."

"I didn't." Connor muttered bitterly, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Sorry, Connor. I know this revolution might make you feel unwanted or used by Oswald, but you shouldn't hold it against him. At least you have one useful thing to take away from this; Oswald isn't completely trustworthy. Hopefully you'll keep that in mind in the future." Miles said in support, patting Connor on the back before finishing putting the fish in the bucket and picking it up, rising to his feet. "I'll take these to the campfire."

As Miles began to walk away, in direction of the fire, Connor continued to stare at the sand, multiple thoughts drifting around his mind as he realised that his view of Oswald had completely changed within a few minutes.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"What Miles said really shocked me! I had no idea that Oswald manufactured the entire elimination...that really does show how clever and sneaky he can be...and also how good at manipulation he is." Connor uttered darkly, thinking about what Miles told him about his ally and thus feeling uncomfortable because of it. He folded his arms, looking at the camera, clear irritation and slight fear in his eyes. "The fact that Oswald would happily drop me, and probably Jackie if the roles were switched just because he would have majority either way just...shocks me completely. i don't know if I can even trust him in an alliance anymore."**

 **...**

Jackie walked quickly through the forest, her vision deadset on the darkness ahead of her, her mind swirling so badly with thoughts that she stumbled multiple times and actually fell over twice. However, she was so nervous that every time she quickly stood back up and continued walking, desperate to reach her destination. She eventually broke out into the clearing of Scar and Jayna's, and once hers, alliance area.

Scar was sitting on his branch, staring up at the slowly darkening sky. Jackie stared at him, every few seconds willing herself to do something, anything, to let him know that she was there. However, every time she attempted to speak her throat would tighten, preventing her, and she was left helplessly staring at him in a mix of nerves. She glanced behind her shoulder at the way she came, and found herself wondering if she should just turn around and leave before he even noticed she was there.

However, with a deep breath, Jackie pushed herself to be strong and she looked up, more determined than ever to finally apologise to Scar, who definitely deserved that at the very least.

"Scar!" She shouted up. He looked down at her, and Jackie saw no emotion on his face or in his eyes. As she expected, he didn't answer, and she was unsure if this was because she betrayed him or if it was just due to his regular personality and attitude. Trying to ignore and fight the growing tears in her eyes, she continued shouting up at him. "I'm so, so sorry about Jayna! I wish I never had to betray her and you, and it's the worst feeling I've ever had in my entire life! But...I had to!"

Instantly, she saw Scar's body stiffen up, as if in anger, and she detected resentment in his eyes. Nervously, she looked down, avoiding his gaze.

"Don't act like you couldn't do anything else. You _did_ have a choice, Jackie; there's _always_ a choice, and you chose them." Scar replied, every word hitting Jackie like a bullet flying through her body. As he continued to speak, Jackie's guilt only grew and grew. She slowly nodded.

"I...I know. I suppose...I suppose I was just frightened of the future...and I wasn't sure what to think. If you want the complete truth..." Jackie said ominously before taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, her mind whirring as she wondered how he would react. "...I feel like I have a better shot at making it further in the game with Oswald and Connor than I did with you and Jayna. But, please don't hold it against me and don't let this change the fact that I'm still so, so sorry!"

"Why do you feel safer around Connor and Oswald?" Scar asked quietly, ignoring everything else she said.

"I-I..." Jackie began to stammer violently as her nerves started to overtake her, and she felt her cheeks heating up from embarrassment. "I think they're betting at forming alliances, and generally have a stronger social game. But...that's not the main reason. I just...I feel like I belong more with Oswald and Connor..."

Jackie fell silent, staring at the ground, waiting for Scar's reply, but it never came. After waiting a few more seconds, Jackie began to feel slightly uncomfortable and she slowly looked up to see Scar staring at her, not appearing to be angry, or disappointed, or irritated...but empty. Like he was devoid of all emotions ever since Jayna was eliminated.

"I felt left out around the two of you because...I don't know, it just seemed like the two of you were always together, talking about something or other, like you were best friends and I was just the third wheel who was there for my vote!" Jackie cried out nervously, her voice starting as a shaky whisper and ending as a fearful shout. "I was worried the two of you were plotting behind my back..."

"If you were so worried about that, you could've just talked to us about it. You knew full well where we were, but instead of doing the honourable thing you did to us the exact thing that you were worried about us doing to you - you went behind our backs, you joined Oswald's alliance, and you betrayed us." Scar spoke slowly, making sure ever word cut Jackie like a knife.

"I...I felt like I would've been intruding..." Jackie said awkwardly, and as soon as she finished speaking she realised how pathetic she sounded.

"So you betrayed us, instead? You betrayed us, and eliminated Jayna who's only ever been kind to you just because you were worried about the two of us doing something that we weren't even doing, when an easy way to relieve those worries would've simply been to talk to us?" Scar said to Jackie, further making her realise how ridiculous her decision was.

"I-I know...and I feel like an idiot because of what I did, if it makes you feel better. But the reason I came to see you wasn't to discuss the elimination or my betrayal, but instead so I could apologise to you and hopefully you'd forgive me...and we wouldn't end on bad terms before it was too late." Jackie mumbled quietly, continuing to fight back tears as she worriedly played with her hands.

Upon hearing this, Scar's eyebrows raise slightly.

"...You came to see me before it was too late..." Scar repeated, turning his head back up to the sky for a moment before looking back at Jackie, as emotionless as ever. "So you alliance...must be planning and intending to eliminate me if we lose the next immunity challenge, otherwise you wouldn't be acting so worried, like you were running out of time."

Realising she was caught out, Jackie's cheeks flushed even brighter red from embarrassment as she felt a tear trickle down her cheek, realising that Scar would never truly forgive her, even if he did a little bit which seemed to be unlikely at the current moment. As she was caught completely in the spotlight of Scar's eyes, she never regretted doing something so much in her entire life; betraying Scar and Jayna, and joining Oswald and Connor.

"...You can't truly be sorry, Jackie, if you're not attempting to stop your alliance from eliminating me. You're standing here, apologising over and over to me, acting as if you feel guilty, but in reality, while you're doing this, your alliance is planning my demise in this game. Betrayal follows you around like a dog follows their owner; you're doing it again, without even realising it." Scar said slowly, shaking his head before looking back at the sky, noticing the first star appear, shimmering down at him. "I have nothing more to say to you."

Jackie stared at him in silence, feeling tears stinging her eyes. Before she broke down from pure sadness, she spun quickly on her heels and broke quickly into a run, dashing through the clearing and diving into the trees, running far away from Scar and his alliance area the two used to share with Jayna and occasionally Miles.

As she continued to run away, she realised that she truly had no chance of making up with Scar, and the only way she could possibly stop the constant feeling of guilty slamming into her heart like a pair of cymbals...was to eliminate him, once and for all.

 **Confessional: Charles 'Scar' Hellman**

 **"I'm done with everyone, with their fake stories and their crocodile tears. With their lies and manipulation, with their selfish tactics and strategies. I'm absolutely done. The best way to play this game is to play it by myself; the way I should've played it from the very beginning. I never should have joined an alliance in the first place, as it only dragged me down, and I'm never joining one again. After all, if I'm not aligned with anyone then I don't have to worry about being betrayed by them." Scar said wisely, deadset on his decision to stay far away from everybody and focus only on his game and nobody else's from then on.**

 **...**

 **Sand Tribe _(Kevin, Zane, Ingrid, Gabby, Sasha and Rebekah)_**

Rebekah and Kevin were both walking slowly along the dirt path that led away from the camp, holding hands, both of them enjoying the sound of nature in silence, relaxed. It was extremely calm, with there being almost no sound except for the occasional rustling of leaves overhead and the flapping of a bird's wings. At that very moment, neither of the two wished to be anywhere else.

However, the silence meant that both of them began thinking about different things, and unfortunately worry began to plague Rebekah's mind, causing her to look at Kevin in discomfort. He looked back at her, noticing something was up.

"Rebekah, are you okay?" He asked, concerned. Rebekah continued to stare at him, not answering for a few moments which only increased Kevin's nerves.

"It's...probably stupid, but...I'm just worried about what Gabby's plan is to persuade Sasha and leave the entire thing to her." Rebekah explained vaguely. Kevin's eyes narrowed in confusion, not understanding completely.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I just know how competitive...and angry Gabby can get, and I just hope...she won't use that to 'persuade' Sasha. I hope she isn't going to threaten or potentially harm her to force her to vote on our side...that just wouldn't be right." Rebekah mumbled, giving her head a small shake. Upon hearing this, Kevin quickly shook his head, as if ignoring the possibility completely.

"No, I don't believe Gabby would do that. I don't think even she would resort to such...cruel methods. If she did, I don't care if it would throw our alliance into potential jeopardy, I wouldn't let her stay in the game." Kevin said honestly. "What I think is that, because she's so devious and cunning, she would use that to her advantage instead."

"Yeah...you're right. I hope." Rebekah said, whispering the last two words to herself, not completely convinced. She hoped Kevin was right, but she just couldn't help feeling worried for Sasha.

...

Gabby sat alone on the beach, close to the water. She stared at the waves in absolute silence, waiting for Sasha to arrive so she could enact her plan.

After about ten minutes of waiting, when Gabby was starting to become bored and restless, Sasha finally emerged from the trees, looking nervous as always. She was shuffling across the floor in the direction of the campfire, as it was her turn to cook the meal that day. However, just when Sasha was about to walk past Gabby, the latter exploded into tears, crying loudly and forcefully in order to attract Sasha's attention.

Hearing her clearly, Sasha slowly looked at Gabby, desperately wanting to ignore her as she was scared of her and she also had an unnerving feeling in her stomach. However, her curiosity and kindness overcame her and she found herself changing direction, instead walking over to Gabby and, with a nervous breath, tapping her on the shoulder.

Gabby stiffened up immediately, as if she was frightened, before she slowly turned around. Upon resting eyes on Sasha, Gabby's upset expression turned to anger as she leapt to her feet, backing away into the water.

"Get away from me, Sasha!" Gabby shouted, her angry voice cracking and betraying a hint of emotion. Shocked, Sasha felt herself begin to shake, but she didn't back down.

"What's the matter, Gabby?" Sasha asked softly, having detected the fear in her voice. "I don't like seeing people upset."

"S-stop lying..." Gabby murmured in a shaky voice. "I-if you're friends with Ingrid, you must be as c-cruel as her...I don't want anything to do with you."

Upon hearing this, Sasha began to feel suspicious and unnerved at Gabby's words. What did she mean, what she said about Ingrid? Quickly, she glanced around the camp to make sure that Ingrid wasn't near and within earshot.

"What has Ingrid done to you? I promise you I had nothing to do with it." Sasha asked, her voice lowered, staring carefully at Gabby.

The crying girl stared at her for a moment, as if contemplating whether or not to tell Sasha, before breaking down in tears and falling to the floor. Sasha's eyes widened, surprised at this show of emotion on somebody who's usual attitude was filled with arrogance.

"Ingrid's been bullying me, Sasha! Ever since the first day on the island! It feels like she's always standing behind my shoulder, mocking me, upsetting me, and I don't know if I can take it anymore!" Gabby cried out, expressing pure emotion. However, in reality, Gabby was completely and utterly lying to Sasha's face and acting well while doing so. Because of this, Sasha was slowly beginning to fall into her trap.

"...That can't be true..." Sasha uttered quietly, her eyes wide as she took in this information. "I've been with Ingrid since day one...and she's only ever been nice to me. Maybe even the nicest person I've ever met."

"..." Gabby observed Sasha in silence, noticing the evident doubt in the timid girl's eyes, and she realised that she only had to push her a little further until she believed her completely. Gabby wiped her eyes slightly. "She may be nice to you, but Ingrid's a complete psychopath. She takes all of her anger out on me, while keeping it hidden away from you, Rebekah, Kevin and Zane. When she's around you four she acts like the nicest person in the world...it's awful."

Sasha, at this, was completely stunned speechless and began nervously and uncomfortably playing with her hands as she unfortunately found herself believing everything Gabby was saying, while also questioning in her head if Ingrid was truly capable of doing such a thing.

"Ingrid's nothing but a bully..." Gabby mumbled, continuing to cry. "I almost hope that I could just get eliminated so I would at least be away from her forever..."

With that, Gabby began walking away briskly, furiously wiping her eyes. After hearing all this, Sasha, who was still completely speechless, slowly turned and watched Gabby walk away, feeling a sudden anger growing from the pit of her stomach, aimed at Ingrid. Now, because of what Gabby said, Sasha was deadset on wanting to eliminate her former friend.

As she walked away, Gabby smirked, having to stifle a victorious giggle as she realised that she had succeeded in her plan.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I wish I never spoke to Ingrid! I can't believe how fake she is; she's completely awful! First, she's manipulating me for her own benefit, and now she's been bullying Gabby?! No wonder Gabby's so defensive! It makes me absolutely sick..." Sasha said, her voice starting off loud but slowly getting quieter and quieter as she got more and more emotional because of the events that had been happening within her tribe. "...I truly cannot wait to eliminate her."**

 **...**

Sasha sat by the campfire, on one of the four logs that they had situated around it with her future alliance, despite her currently not knowing about it and believing that it was only her, Rebekah and Kevin in it. The four of them were eating a meal of fish and chicken, thanks to the new meat they recently one. As she ate, she stared at the fire, desperately trying to get her mind off the Ingrid situation but she couldn't. Because of how furious she was, she stayed mostly quiet throughout the conversation the other four were sharing.

Suddenly, a rustling sound emanated from the other side of the beach and the four turned to see Ingrid exploding out of the forest, rushing towards Sasha and wrapping her up in a tight hug before she could do anything about it.

"There you are! I was so worried!" Ingrid exclaimed in relief, a wide smile on her face. "I couldn't find you anywhere! I was worried that you got lost."

"I'm not a lost puppy." Sasha snapped, unable to hide her irritation, violently shaking out of Ingrid's grasp. Sasha glared at Ingrid, who's expression had changed from happy to shocked. "I know my way around camp. I don't need _you_ to constantly hold my hand."

This shocked everybody in the tribe and gasps came from seemingly every direction, as a tense atmosphere gently fell on all of them. The only person who didn't gasp was Gabby, who was instead smirking, enjoying the conflict while also having expected it.

"I know...I know you know around camp. I was just worried..." Ingrid mumbled, feeling guilty.

"Well, stop worrying! I'm my own person, okay?! I don't need you dragging me around everywhere like I'm some doll!" Sasha exclaimed, her voice rising and rising as Ingrid listened in silence. "Maybe I want other friends than just you..."

"...I...just wanted to make sure you were safe..." Ingrid whispered, hurt and embarrassed, her eyes glued at the ground as she found herself beginning to feel upset.

"I don't need you anymore!" Sasha shouted, the loudest she's ever been, ignoring the intense knot of guilt tightening in her stomach. As Ingrid stared at the ground, not replying, Sasha calmed down, her expression becoming darker. "Especially now that I know the truth."

"What truth?" Ingrid asked, genuinely having no idea what Sasha was talking about.

"..." Sasha's face darkened purely in anger as she gave Ingrid a furious glare. "The truth that you've been manipulating me and using me for your own benefit ever since I first 'made friends' with you. You don't care about me at all in reality; I'm just your puppet. You're just a cold-hearted bully."

"...Is that really what you think?" Ingrid asked in pure shock. Sasha didn't answer, instead folding her arms and turning her head in the direction of the ocean. Feeling utterly humiliated and also beginning to get angry, Ingrid narrowed her eyes at Sasha. "...I've only ever wanted the best for you, Sasha, and that's what I've wanted ever since I first met you...but if you think that...I can see that we clearly shouldn't be friends."

With that, Sasha watched her walk away angrily before taking a deep breath and calmly returning to her meal, looking at the dancing flames, no emotion displayed on her face. As Zane, Rebekah and Kevin shared expressions of pure confusion, Gabby's smirk only deepened, truly proud of herself for what she had caused.

 **Confessional: Ingrid Sanders**

 **"What's happened?! Sasha and I were such good friends, but the last few days have been awful! It seems we've been having argument after argument, and today really was the breaking point. I don't know where Sasha got those ideas of me manipulating her from...but if she thinks that about me then I never want to talk to her, ever again." Ingrid said to the camera, her voice cracking with sadness occasionally, revealing that she did still truly care about Sasha.**

 **Day 10**

 **Immunity Challenge**

As the three tribes, consisting of fifteen contestants in total, entered the challenge area, their eyes were immediately attracted to the fifteen tall wooden podiums protruding from the water aligned in a straight row. The more eagle-eyed contestants detected the footholds carved into the wooden structures and gathered what they would have to do from that, while the lazier or less intelligent contestants simply waited for Chris to explain as they stepped onto their respective tribe mats.

"Welcome to the next immunity challenge, everybody!" Chris greeted with a mischievous glint in his eye. He was clearly excited for what was to come. He indicated his arm to the right, pointing in the direction of the mysterious podiums. "Well, you're looking at it! Climb on!"

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait! You can't just tell us to ' _get on_ ', we need an explanation!" Gabby demanded in an irritated tone, causing Chris to groan in exasperation.

"Geez, teenagers these days are just so reliant! I'll be thinking about you when it's time for you lot to get jobs." Chris muttered with a sigh, before placing his hands on his hips and turning away from the podiums to face the annoyed contestants. "So, this is what you have to do.

"For this next challenge, twelve of you will each be placed on one of these podiums. The objective is simple; stay above the water, by any means possible. This includes using your footholds to your advantage, or you can rely on your individual physical strength! You can cling to the top...wrap your arms around it; everything is allowed, except for sitting on top of the podium!" Chris explained. "The first tribe to have all of its members in the water will lose and go to The Bonfire tonight."

Upon hearing this, every teenager felt slightly nervous and began exchanging glances, but they also willed themselves to remain determined and hopeful that they could succeed.

"However, like always, a few people must sit out! Two from the Sand Tribe and one from the Serenity Tribe, please!" Chris said. After short discussion, Kevin and Zane were chosen to sit out for the Sand Tribe and Miles was chosen to sit out for the Serenity Tribe.

After a few minutes of preparation, every contestant involved in the challenge was holding onto the wooden podium in some way. While those with smaller feet comfortably relied on the footholds and saw no threat in the challenge at the time, the contestants with larger feet struggled with the holes in the podiums and instead had to use their strength to cling onto the poles. The more agile and athletic ones wrapped their arms and legs around the poles, suspending themselves in mid-air, while the few exceptions who had large feet, no physical strength and no agility simply tried to cling on in any way possible.

"Ready...set...go!" Chris announced, and the klaxon blew far away in the distance, signalling the start of the challenge.

 **30 Seconds In**

"Alright, guys! This is _serious_ now! We can't afford any mistakes! We need to avoid going back to that stupid bonf-" Arianna began as she held her position around the podium with ease, shouting out motivation to her teammates. However, her speech was interrupted when she heard a shriek and the crashing of water coming from just next to her, and she turned her head to see Brooke bobbing up and down in the water below, her expression sheepish. "Well, this is going swimmingly..."

"Sorry. I'm really bad at things to do with endurance!" Brooke apologised with an awkward giggle, before she began the short swim back to shore. Unable to hide her frustration, Arianna shouted out.

"Yeah, well I'd understand that if you lasted more that two seconds! Geez, no wonder whatever tribe you're on has never won an immunity challenge!" Arianna snapped angrily, the irritation drifting her mind from the subject at hand temporarily and causing her grip to slip. However, she quickly focused and kept her position steady.

"Wow...great motivation, Arianna! I can really see it's working!" Gabby exploded from laughter from her podium as she watched the event unfold.

"Ugh, go shove your head in the ocean!" Arianna growled back fiercely. "It won't be long before one of your team falls; I mean, look at them! You're not much better, either."

"Oh, I beg to differ! I doubt ANYBODY from my team is going to-" Gabby began, when she was interrupted by a splashing sound. With a sinking feeling of dread, she noticed that Ingrid had fallen from her podium and a small sigh escaped her lips.

"You were saying?" Arianna said quietly to her with a victorious smirk on her face. Gabby rolled her eyes and ignored her, deciding to focus on the challenge.

 **5 Minutes In**

"G-gah! This is impossible!" Connor cried out through gritted teeth. The wooden footholds felt as if they were slicing through his feet, and he kept having to rearrange them, despite the pain returning within seconds.

In a desperate attempt to distract himself, Connor started glancing around and his eyes landed on his teammate, Scar, who was somehow managing to remain on the podium by simply wrapping his legs around it and allowing his body to drift back and forth in the wind. His eyes were closed, as if he was sleeping.

"H-how can you _do_ that?!" Connor muttered to himself in shock. Feeling his arm muscles begin to burn, Connor looked down at the clear blue water below and suddenly found it incredibly inviting. He glanced up at Oswald, Jackie and Scar, all of them seeming to be in a comfortable position at the time. He reduced his voice to a whisper as he talked to himself. "Maybe I could just drop off...I mean, I doubt it would affect my team...they seem to be doing well..."

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Connor's right foot, causing him to wince and almost let go of the podium completely. His mind deadset on jumping off, Connor prepared to leap, when a sudden voice stopped him in his tracks.

"I know you can do this, Connor!" Jackie shouted to him from a few podiums away. Connor looked at her in slight shock. Did she know what he was about to do? "I know it's hard, but I believe in you! Don't give up!"

"Y-yeah...I won't!" Connor shouted back before taking a deep breath and shuffling his position, determination shining in his eyes as he ignored the pain in his feet.

 **10 Minutes In**

"O-ow...m-my arms..." Sasha whimpered, her strength having already begun to diminish. Soon, she found herself clinging on for her dear life while everybody else in the challenge appeared to be completely fine. Soon, she realised that she would have to rely on her balance and she slowly removed her arms and held them out to her side.

Luckily, she managed to stay atop the podium by means of just using the footholds, and tried to keep her fearful breathing steady. She tried her hardest not to look down, which caused her to start wobbling.

"Don't worry, Sasha, you're doing great!" Rebekah complimented, and Sasha nervously looked at her friend and smiled. All of a sudden, they heard the crashing of water and turned, fearing that it was Gabby, but their nerves were relieved when they found that it was Griff who had fallen.

"Griff!" Arianna growled angrily.

"Ugh, this challenge is stupid! I'm not strong enough for this!" Griff moaned in annoyance as he began swimming back.

Beginning to get nervous as she realised it was only her and Adam remaining for the Sky Tribe, she turned to her alliance member with fire in her eyes.

"Alright, no more mistakes! The other two were destined to fall, but we're by far the strongest and we're bound to win! Just stay focused." Arianna said to Adam through gritted teeth as she felt her arms begin to slip. Thinking quickly, she rearranged her position and decided to stand on the footholds while she waited for the strength in her arms to return.

"I won't be falling yet." Adam replied seriously, and he didn't appear to be lying. His arms, despite being his only support, weren't failing. They were wrapped firmly around the podium, and hadn't shifted since the challenge began.

Oswald, on the other hand, wasn't doing as well. For the first few minutes, he was on par with those who weren't feeling bad at all about the challenge, but as soon as it reached the eleven minute mark he was exhausted; he had lost all strength in his arms and legs, and his feet were burning.

It was only a matter of time for him.

 **20 Minutes In**

Just as expected, as if he had run out of electricity, Oswald's arms loosely unwrapped from around the podium and he limply tumbled into the water, creating a crash which alerted the other contestants. To add to this, only a few seconds later another crash emanated from below the podiums and Sasha was revealed to be bobbing up and down in the water, her face contorted with pain from having to cling on for so long.

"Don't worry, Sasha! You did really well!" Rebekah cheered with a smile on her face as Sasha dejectedly swam back. The timid girl turned around and gave a slight smile to her friend and new ally before continuing the swim alongside Oswald.

"Jackie...I'm really struggling." Connor whispered. His arms had become so weak that they were practically numb, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on. He didn't want to let go now, so soon after Oswald had fallen, but soon he wouldn't be able to help it.

Jackie listened to him with considerate eyes, then turned to look at Scar who hadn't moved an inch, and then thought about her own current position. Luckily, with her slender body, she wasn't as affected as some of the more muscular or larger contestants, but pain still flashed through her muscles every few minutes. For the moment, however, she felt that she was strong enough to carry her team alongside Scar.

"It's okay, Connor. Just fall. I'm almost certain we can win this." Jackie said with a smile. Connor looked at her, still considering, before he decided and nodded before letting go and crashing into the water below.

"Good luck, you two!" Connor called with a wave before he turned and began swimming.

"Ugh, do you think LUCK is going to protect those two pathetic kids from the bonfire? This challenge is all about skill, and I doubt either of those two have any!" Gabby mocked, trying to ignore the aching feeling beginning to creep into her body. "G-gah..."

With only two contestants remaining on each tribe, the ones who had failed and those chosen not to compete in the first place sat nervously on the shore, knowing that any tribe could lose the challenge at any moment...

 **30 Minutes In**

As the clock struck half an hour, almost every contestant still competing in the challenge were beginning to display signs of fatigue, whether it was drooping heads, slacking arms, sweating or silence. Arianna had slipped multiple times but regained her balance, Adam had been frequently switching between using his arms and feet, Gabby's anger was growing every minute and sweat was dripping down her forehead like a waterfall, Rebekah's body had been slowly slipping down her podium and was now precariously close to the water and Jackie had resorted to leaning her body against the podium, which was causing her to occasionally slip.

The only person who still seemed to be having no trouble was Scar.

"Oh my goodness...are you a ROBOT or something?! You don't speak and you don't move!" Gabby cried out, her exhaustion fuelling her frustration. As she spoke, she snapped her head towards Scar who's position hadn't moved since the start of the challenge.

Scar ignored her.

"Oh...are you gonna ignore me now?!" Gabby growled, her face flashing black with thunder.

"Gabby, stop! Try to calm down! If you keep getting angry you're bound to lose concentration and fall! I don't want us to lose!" Rebekah pleaded in distress, seeing no good results from Gabby's unnecessary fury.

"No! He's mocking me! He thinks he's all tough and clever and mysterious just because he doesn't move or speak! But he's nothing but a lonely, twisted, insane FREAK!" Gabby shouted, the entirety of her anger leaving her mouth at once and causing the rest of the contestants to fall into an awkward silence.

All heads turned to Scar, awaiting his response. However, as expected, he remained cool and collected and blocked out Gabby's insults from his mind.

"Fine! Ignore me! You'll regre-AAAHHH!" Gabby screamed out all of a sudden as, like Rebekah warned, she lost concentration and her body slid down the podium.

She desperately tried to prevent her slipping but it was far too late and she landed in the water, confirming her elimination from the challenge. Realising she was the last contender for the Sand Tribe, Rebekah sighed nervously.

 **40 Minutes In**

"We're so c-close, Adam...we're finally going to win a challenge again!" Arianna whispered, worried that if she raised her voice it would cause her to lose even more vital strength. Over the last two-thirds of an hour, her feet had become increasingly sore and it felt like she was standing on needles. To add to this, her arms had lost all of her strength and she hoped desperately that everyone on the other tribes would fall so she wouldn't embarrass herself.

"This is so painful..." Jackie whispered, closing her eyes and trying to imagine she was somewhere else to take her mind off the pain.

"I don't know how much longer I can...keep this up..." Rebekah spoke quietly as she strained her body to stay above the water. She had continued to slide slowly down the podium over the last ten minutes and now she was above the ocean by about a foot, and she knew that if she let her body relax she would no doubt touch the water and lose the challenge for her team.

"Gah...eugh..." Adam groaned as pain shot through his arms. It seemed like either of the four would fall at any moment, when all of a sudden...

...the unexpected happened.

Scar's arms let go of the podium and in the blink of an eye he was in the water. In her utter shock, Jackie almost let go of the podium herself and she watched in despair as Scar slowly and silently made his way back to the shore. Fear struck her as she realised that if she fell into the water, she would secure her tribe's demise.

"Adam...you better win..." Arianna muttered through gritted teeth. Adam, confused, turned to face her.

"What are you talking abou-" He began, but he cut his sentence short when he watched Arianna's body relax as it fell into the water, causing a crash that resulted in everybody on the beach gasping as they realised that only one representative from each tribe remained.

The challenge could end at any moment.

 **50 Minutes In**

"The challenge is coming up to an hour!" Chris announced as he excitedly sat on his lifeguard chair, knowing that the challenge would inevitably end soon as all three remaining were exhausted.

"Don't mess up, Adam!"

"You can do it, Rebekah!"

"Stay strong, Jackie!"

Motivation was spewed out at a fast pace from the beach, but the words hit deaf ears as the contestants still competing purposely blocked them out to focus on what they were doing. All strength had completely drained from their bodies, and they knew that the only thing keeping them on their podiums was balance and endurance, both of which were beginning to falter.

Sweat dripped down Rebekah's forehead as she kept her body in a contorted position to avoid the water, while Adam gripped the podium with all the strength he had left and Jackie focused on her balance.

Suddenly, it was all over.

Jackie, who had been tottering left and right for the last few minutes, had finally swayed to far to the right, causing her feet to slip. Her body tumbled off the podium and fell through the air, heading straight to the ocean. Just as the members of the Serenity Tribe had lost all hope and Jackie was feet away from hitting the surface, Rebekah finally gave up and let go of the podium.

The two hit the water, causing a large crash to emanate and water to spray up into the air, blocking the contestants' and Chris' views of who fell into the water first. Adam, relieved with the thought that the challenge was finally over, happily leapt off the podium and into the water, swimming back. At this, the three other members of the Sky Tribe broke into hysterical cheers as they realised that they were finally not going to a bonfire, Brooke especially.

"I've finally not lost an immunity challenge!" She exclaimed joyfully to her team.

However, the other two tribes were filled with concern and worry that could only be resolved with the results of the challenge. As Jackie, Rebekah and Adam returned to shore and were congratulated by their teammates, two producers hurried over to Chris and the three talked in hushed voices for a few minutes before the two show runners departed. Chris made his way over to the contestants who had arranged in their tribes.

"First off, I'd like to congratulate Adam on his outright victory. Thanks to him, the Sky Tribe have immunity and will not be going to the bonfire." Chris announced, causing the four of them to break out into smiles. However, Chris' expression soon went grim. "However, it was extremely close between Rebekah and Jackie, and the producers had to review the tapes in slow-motion to find out the victory and loser. And I would like to announce that the tribe going to the bonfire area tonight is..."

The two tribes waited anxiously, wanting nothing more than to avoid that dreaded area.

"...The Sand Tribe! It was close, but Rebekah hit the water milliseconds before Jackie and, therefore, her and Gabby, Sasha, Ingrid, Kevin and Zane must go to the bonfire tonight to see who will be eliminated." Chris revealed.

As the members of the Serenity Tribe sighed in relief, ecstatic that none of them would be leaving the competition, the six members of the Sand Tribe were in much worse spirits as they exchanged worried glances, knowing one of them would be leaving that night and exiting the competition permanently.

 **The Bonfire**

Gabby, Sasha, Ingrid, Kevin, Zane and Rebekah begrudgingly and nervously walked into the bonfire area, hearing nothing but their unsteady breathing and the crackling of the torches resting on the wooden walls. As they all sat down on six tree stumps, presumably arranged for them, their eyes rested on Chris who was waiting on the opposite side of a fire, the light brightening his face.

Tensions were high, and everybody could feel it, especially Ingrid and Sasha who had argued not that long ago. The atmosphere was incredibly awkward, and Chris wasn't sure how to begin.

"Welcome to the bonfire, Sand Tribe. Before I ask you questions about your time in your tribe and you vote for who you would like to see leave the game, this is your first time here so I need to explain the rules." Chris announced, and the six worriedly listened, although most of what he said went in through one ear and out the other as they were too focused on the impending vote. "I will call the six of you individually, one by one. When I call your name, you must walk down the path to the voting box, take a roll of parchment and write the name of the person you would like to eliminate. You may only vote for one person.

After you've voted, sit back down on your stump. Once everybody has voted, I will retrieve the box. Then, I will ask if anybody has an immunity idol. If you do, you can play it before or after the votes are read. If you play an immunity idol, all votes cast for you will not be counted, and if you are the contestant with the most votes, the one with the second-highest amount of votes will be eliminated instead. If there are no idols, then I will simply read out the votes, and the contestant with the most votes must leave immediately.

Now, would anybody like to play an immunity idol?"

Immediately, Gabby stiffened and her hand instinctively went to her pocket. However, luckily for her, nobody seemed to realise and she instantly relaxed again, acting as if she was just as powerless as the others.

"Now then, how has-" Chris began.

"Wait! I'm sorry, but may I speak? I have to say something." Ingrid interrupted, jumping to her feet and startling Chris slightly. Trying to hide his annoyance at being cut short, the host gave a quick nod, giving his permission.

Ingrid turned to face her teammates, looking at them all one by one, before her eyes rested on Sasha who was extremely perplexed.

"I...I know this is my last chance to apologise to you, Sasha. I'm not stupid. I know I'm going to be eliminated tonight. There's nothing I can do to change that." Ingrid said quietly, trying to hide the emotion and distress in her voice. While Gabby, Zane, Rebekah and Kevin quietly listened, Sasha's eyes widened slightly. "I'm sorry, Sasha. I truly am. Every argument we've ever had...I know it's because of me. I'm the cause of it all. I'm just too nosy...I-I mean, your privacy is your own business and I invaded that. It's no surprise that you were mad at me for it...but I really hope that you'll forgive me. I don't deserve it, but...I hope you won't allow this to destroy our friendship."

Tears began to form in Ingrid's eyes, which she quickly and furiously wiped away. She wasn't going to allow herself to cry. Not now. Not in front of everyone. She had to be strong. For Sasha.

"Y...you're my best friend Sasha. Ever since I stepped onto this island and talked to you...I knew you were my best friend. I've always known it. No matter how much we fight...I'll always think of you as that. My best friend." Ingrid mumbled quietly, her eyes on the ground. Sasha listened to this in silence, fighting back against the emotions she was currently feeling. She had to stick with the plan...she couldn't go back on her word, not if she wanted to win. "My intentions have NEVER been to upset you. I hope you know that, and I...I wish you the best in the future."

Worrying that if she continued to talk her voice would crack and she would break down completely, Ingrid hurriedly sat back down on her stool and stared at the ground. Sasha, despite wanting to reply, wanting to say something...she just couldn't. She was utterly speechless. All she could do was stare at Ingrid with a mix of shock, anger, sadness and regret on her face. As she watched the events unfold, Gabby smirked; she was loving the drama between the two previously close friends.

Chris was shocked.

"Sasha...what's happened between you and Ingrid? I thought you were great friends!" The host uttered in complete surprise.

Sasha stared at the host, and found that the words just wouldn't come. Feeling embarrassed, her eyes flicked about the area, to see that everybody was looking at her except for Ingrid, who was still staring at the ground. However, she was no doubt listening, and Sasha knew this. She had to make a choice. Did she want to remain tough, for the alliance? Or choose her friendship with Ingrid...even if she was destined to be eliminated? She didn't know, and she took a few moments to contemplate her words.

Once she decided what she was going to say, she looked up at Chris, blocking out the pairs of eyes on her. She wasn't going to be controlled anymore. She was going to speak her mind.

"Chris...some friendships just aren't meant to be." Sasha stated bluntly, with no emotion on her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ingrid had turned to look at her, with a shocked expression of pained betrayal written in her eyes. However, Sasha soon felt her fists clenching and her eyes squinting as her face became red and tears started to stream down her cheeks like an endless river of sadness. "But...this isn't the case with Ingrid and I! No matter what happens, no matter what arguments we have, I will always care about her. She'll always be...my best friend. In my entire life, I think she's the only person who's ever seemed to genuinely care for me...and I'm NEVER going to forget that."

Sasha slowly turned her head to face Ingrid, who's expression was now utter shock and sadness. She noticed her friend's cheeks were stained with tears. Sasha opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again for a moment as she waited for her emotions to die down slightly.

"I...I love you, Ingrid. I'll always love you. You're my best friend! Whether you're eliminated tonight, or tomorrow, or in a week!" Sasha exclaimed, all of her emotions blowing out of her like a tornado.

"I love you too, Sasha. But...you can't let this ruin your game." Ingrid said softly. Sasha's eyes widened as she wondered what she meant. Ingrid's eyes were cloudy with tears and her cheeks were red, but she was smiling a genuine smile of happiness. All of a sudden, she understood and nodded tentatively.

After the heartfelt conversation had ended, Chris waited a few moments before announcing that it was time to vote, and directed Ingrid to go first.

Ingrid went up to vote.

"I know I have no hope of winning. That chance is lost for me...but Sasha can still triumph. I know she can...for both of us."

Gabby went up to vote.

"How disgusting...to tell the truth, that moment almost made me sick in my mouth!"

Rebekah went up to vote.

"Ingrid...Sasha...I'm sorry for doing this to you. For breaking up your friendship...but I need to win. I need to keep going, and win...and I can't let morals stop me."

Kevin went up to vote.

Zane went up to vote.

Sasha went up to vote.

"Ingrid...I'm sorry...but I think you wanted this. N-no...I know you wanted this."

Sasha slowly sat back down in her seat, and Chris temporarily left them to collect the votes. Nobody spoke during the few moments the host was gone; tensions were high, and two certain members of the tribe were still struggling not to break down completely in tears.

Eventually, Chris returned and lifted the lid of the voting box, before revealing the first slip of parchment. He unrolled it.

"The first vote...is for Ingrid." He announced. Nobody was surprised. Everybody knew this was going to happen. "The second vote is for Ingrid. The third vote is for Ingrid. The fourth vote is for Ingrid. The fifth vote...is for Gabby."

"Pfft, how petty!" Gabby rolled her eyes and snarled.

"The sixth and final vote...is for Ingrid. I'm sorry, but with five votes out of six aimed at you, Ingrid, you have the majority and you must leave immediately. You have been eliminated." Chris revealed, spinning around the final parchment to show everybody.

Ingrid nodded, expecting nothing else. She slowly rose to her feet and gave small nods to Rebekah, Kevin, Zane and even Gabby, showing that no hard feelings or offence was taken by the events. Then, she turned to Sasha, and before she could say goodbye...

...the timid girl had ran into her and wrapped her arms around Ingrid's body, pulling her close and hugging her. Unable to take it anymore, Ingrid allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks as she embraced Sasha, knowing it would be the last time.

After a few moments, Ingrid backed away, and gave a final, determined smile to her friend, showing that she had faith in her, before she turned around and departed the competition, not looking back. Sasha watched, trying her hardest not to wail, as her best friend disappeared from sight.

 **Final Confessional: Ingrid Sanders**

 **"Well...it looks like it's my time to go. Of course I'm sad, but at the same time...I'm happy. I'm no longer holding Sasha back, binding her to our friendship. She's free to do what she wants, to make her own decisions, to build and form her own alliances and create plans by herself. I just hope...no...I _know_ she's strong enough to win. I just hope she makes the right decisions...there are some slippery snakes in this game, who would happily use her for their own ends. But no matter what...whether she's eliminated next, or in a few days, or whether she goes on to win the entire competition...I'll always be by her side." Ingrid said with a smile as she softly wiped away a tear that had formed in her eye.**

It had taken about five minutes, but Sasha had eventually stopped crying, and was ready to depart back to the Sand Tribe with Zane, Gabby, Kevin and Rebekah. However, just when they were about to walk down the wooden steps to the forest pathway and head in the forked direction that led back to their camp, Chris stepped in front of them, blocking their path.

"I've kept this a secret until now...but it's time to reveal what's going to happen. Sky, Serenity Tribes, if you'd please join the Sand Tribe." Chris said, and the five remaining members of the Sand Tribe watched in surprise as the nine contestants who avoided the elimination joined them. Chris faced them all. "Now, I've decided to shake things up a bit. Say goodbye to your tribes! Just like the Sea Tribe, the Sky, Sand and Serenity Tribes are no more!"

"Wait...we're merging?! Are we starting individual challenges?" Connor asked in surprise, and the contestants glanced around, some of them happy with this new information while others were worried or nervous.

"...Not quite." Chris said with a mischievous smirk. Everyone looked at him, confused. "Fourteen of you remain. You have watched six of your fellow teammates fall...Mike, from the Sea Tribe. Olivia, from the Sea Tribe. Dale, from the Sky Tribe. Hudson, from the Sky Tribe. Jayna, from the Serenity Tribe, and lastly...Ingrid, from the Sand Tribe. But it's time to move onto the next stage of the game. The fourteen of you will be split into two teams of seven, labelled The Attackers and The Defenders!"

This was met with a chorus of gasps.

"That's right! Say goodbye to your original teammates, because you'll be meeting new faces, while also remaining with some old friends! This is how the two new teams will work..." Chris announced, and began listing off the contestants one by one while also assigning them to either The Attackers or The Defenders.

After a few minutes, the arrangement was complete.

 **The Attackers: Miles, Sasha, Rebekah, Arianna, Griff, Scar and Jackie.**

 **The Defenders: Oswald, Brooke, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Gabby and Adam.**

"The Attackers, you will live in the Serenity Tribe's old camp! The Defenders, you will live in the Sand Tribe's old camp! Please, take the rest of this night and the following morning to mingle and possibly form new allegiances before the next reward challenge tomorrow. Let's hope you have the teamwork required, because...in two days, one of you will be leaving." Chris finished off ominously, allowing the two brand new tribes to walk away in their clusters and head down their respective paths, all of them still shocked at what just happened. Chris turned to face the camera. "Surprises occur at every corner. But are the final fourteen contestants ready to face what's to come? Only the strongest will survive, and as the amount of contestants starts to dwindle, they will begin to reconsider every single decision they make, as one false or incorrect move could result in their downfall."

 **...**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 ** _Pre-Merge_**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones**

 **19th Place: Olivia Haas**

 **18th Place: Dale Montgomery Lawson**

 **17th Place: Hudson Ewing**

 **16th Place: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine.**

 **15th Place: Ingrid Sanders.**

 **...**

 **Thank you all so much for reading this chapter, and if you enjoyed please review! (Or if you didn't enjoy, please review anyway and tell me how I could improve!) See you next time!**

 **Bye for now! ^^**


	10. Note 2

Hey guys! So, you all might be wondering where the next chapter of Eracy Island is and when it's coming out, especially since it's been **over two months** since the last chapter came out.

Well...I have one answer for that.

 **EXAMS.**

 **LOTS**

 **OF**

 **EXAMS.**

It's almost the end of the school year, and because of that I'm literally about to have non-stop exams. Because of all the work I've had to do for all my subjects, and because I need a good future for myself, Eracy Island has sorta been at the bottom of my priorities. And because of that, I've made almost zero work on the next chapter.

But every time I think about it, I always feel really guilty because everyone who reads this are always really fast to review, and I feel really bad for forcing you all to have to wait months on end.

So, I've set a release date for when the next chapter will come out; **Sunday, 8th April 2018.**

That's when the next chapter of Eracy Island will come out, and even though I've made almost no work on the newest chapter and it'll be the fastest made chapter in history for one of my stories, it's during the school holidays and because of that I think that I'll be able to do it.

The reason for why I've set this deadline is because after this day, it'll be the exam term in my school and because of that I literally won't be able to write anything for this story until **late June** at the **earliest** , meaning the chapter itself will likely come out in **late July or early August**.

So I want to leave you all with a chapter before I have to put all my focus into school for the next few months.

This isn't ideal at all, and if it were up to me I'd be writing chapters for this story all day every day, but I hope you can all understand that I have to focus on my education right now, up until the summer holidays when I'll be writing much more frequently.

So thank you for reading, and thank you for hopefully understanding, and I'll see you all on **Sunday 8th April** for the newest chapter of Total Drama Eracy Island!

 _(By the way, if I, for whatever reason, miss this deadline, I'll personally give you all my address so you can set my house on fire.)_

Bye for now! ^^


	11. Chapter Seven: Tightropes and Treachery

**Hey everyone! The newest chapter of Eracy Island is finally here, (two days earlier than the deadline too) and it'll be the final one for a few months (This was all explained in the Note chapter before this, however, so I won't get into it again now.) Thank you all for reviewing the last chapter, I really appreciate it, and I hope you all enjoy! ^^**

 **...**

 **The Attackers** ** _(Miles, Scar, Griff, Sasha, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie)_**

The seven brand new tribemates all anxiously and awkwardly walked down the forest pathway that led to the Serenity Tribe's old camp, most of them having not met each other before now. They knew they had to be careful with what they said, as if they made just one single wrong move it could result in their brisk elimination the first time they lose a challenge. Contestants such as Miles and Sasha, Arianna and Rebekah, Griff and Jackie and many other pairings had never spoken to each other before, and thus they had no clue about their personalities or what their game tactics were. It was a fresh start for everyone, and only those who could adapt to their new environment would survive.

Jackie walked down the pathway alone at the head of the pack, leading everyone else as she knew the pathway well. As she walked, a nervous and uncomfortable frown crossed her face as she thought about her current predicament.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"This is awful! Absolutely terrible! I bet some people are happy about this change, ecstatic even, but it couldn't be further from the case with me. I've been thrown into a new tribe out of the blue with completely new people, who I've never talked to before...and I'm not sure what to do...I really don't know..." Jackie murmured, worry and slight fear affecting her voice. All of a sudden, however, her voice hardened and her eyes grew cold. "And it's even worse than it normally would be because I've been completely, and I mean completely separated from my alliance, and the only two people from my old tribe who are with me are Miles, who I apparently can't trust, and Scar, who absolutely hates me because of the Jayna situation! This literally couldn't get worse...it's like the producers are out to make my life a complete misery."**

 **...**

While Jackie became more and more stressed out about her situation, elsewhere Rebekah and Sasha were walking along the pathway together, in the middle of everybody, looking around at the brand new scenery which was different for both of them as the two were so used to the Sand Tribe's environment, especially Sasha. As they walked, both Rebekah and Sasha were feeling very nervous, with the latter feeling completely distraught and shattered. Because of this, she had been completely silent ever since they had started walking to their new camp, too involved in her own thoughts to communicate with anybody else.

After a few minutes of silence, Rebekah began to get twitchy, feeling the need to talk as they were in a new tribe and the two of them needed to start working on their strategy, especially because they had been split up from over half of their alliance. Rebekah turned to Sasha and smiled.

"Being part of a new tribe should be quite exciting, shouldn't it?" Rebekah said to her, trying to motivate Sasha or get her to feel happier. Sasha didn't reply, however, and instead began sniffling and wiping her eyes. Feeling sympathetic and guilty, Rebekah softly place her hand on her friend's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Are you missing Ingrid?"

Sasha continued to whimper and sniffle, her body beginning to shake from emotion, but she was determined not to cry, willing herself to be strong, especially in front of all these new people she'd never met before. Keeping her eyes hidden from Rebekah's view, Sasha gave her a small nod, confirming Rebekah's suspicions. All of a sudden, guilt began to flourish throughout Rebekah's body and swirl around her mind as she realised what she had done to Sasha, and that it was all her fault for turning her against her friend in the first place. Because of these thoughts taking up Rebekah's attention, she was unsure what to say to Sasha at first.

"...Sasha, I completely understand how upset you are about losing Ingrid, but you made the right choice. Choosing to vote for her was a good decision, and because you chose strategy over sentimentality it'll no doubt help you in the future when we reunite with Gabby, Zane and Kevin at the merge, whenever that'll be." Rebekah said quietly, hoping to make Sasha feel better. She softly grabbed her hands, and Sasha slowly looked at her. "You have to be strong for Ingrid, Sasha. You can win for her, I know you can. But...if you keep grieving her, and feeling upset about voting for her...it could cause you to lose your focus on the game and you could wind up eliminated. Then, voting for her in the first place will have been for absolutely nothing."

Sasha's eyes widened slightly as she listened to Rebekah, the thought of winning for Ingrid crossing her mind, and she slowly realised that Rebekah was actually right, and if she kept thinking about Ingrid constantly then she could lose track of the competition. Rebekah, suddenly realising something, quickly looked around to make sure nobody was around and would hear what she was about to say.

"We don't know anybody on this tribe except for each other, and as far as we know they could all be cunning, devious, sneaky traitors, or they could all be decent, friendly people. We have no idea for the time being. If we want to survive this tribe, and reach the merge and reunite with the others, we're going to have to be extremely clever and think about every move we make to guarantee we don't get on the wrong side of anybody, especially because there are only two of us in the alliance but seven of us in the tribe." Rebekah whispered in Sasha's ear, her voice growing darker and darker with every word she said which caused Sasha to glance around in fear. "We'll have to observe everybody closely over the next few days to see who seems trustworthy enough to make a temporary alliance with while we're on this tribe, because if we keep the alliance as just as the two of us, we'd probably be eliminated before the true merge comes along and we've come too far to be making any stupid moves now. I've learnt my lesson from last time."

Noticing Sasha was staring at her curiously because of the last sentence Rebekah said, she let out a sigh and looked up at the sky as she began to recall the events of the first few days on the tribe. As she began to remember, she started to feel upset all over again.

"At the start of the game, before I was moved to the Sand Tribe, I was part of the Sea Tribe which was disbanded after two people in a row were eliminated on it. During the short time I was there, I made friends with another girl on the tribe, Olivia. She was my best friend on the island, and I really grew close to her. We started planning what we would do in the future of the game, when the tribes merged and we would have to make alliances with other people, and tactics for how to win the challenges. I spent pretty much every moment of the game with her." Rebekah reminisced, a sad smile forming on her lips. However, a few seconds later, that smile disappeared and was replaced with disgust and anger. "But she didn't even get close to reaching any of the goals we had planned. She was eliminated second, and it was all because the two of us were completely and utterly manipulated by two people who I still can't stand now because of what they did to me.

"Olivia and I, after this contestant called Mike was eliminated, decided to align with Brooke because we felt safer around her than around Miles. I can see now why I thought that, and I wish I never changed my mind. So, we made an alliance with Brooke, not knowing at the time that she was actually secretly working with Miles. We obviously agreed to vote for Miles if we lose, and everything was good and happy. But then, when I was on my own, Miles came to me and said that, apparently, Olivia was just pretending to work with Brooke while she was actually going to vote for her, and I was supposed to be told about it but she forgot to tell me. And...I completely lapped it up. I was such an idiot, and it cost me. Well, Olivia, really. She never would've fallen for it, but I did. So, at the elimination, I voted for Brooke. But of course, Miles lied, and while Olivia voted for Miles, which was the plan, Miles and Brooke worked together and voted for Olivia, and there was nothing we could do because we couldn't find the immunity idol earlier on. Olivia was eliminated, and I was left alone with Miles and Brooke, the two most cunning contestants in the entire game. Luckily, I was moved to the Sand Tribe, but I've never forgotten about what they did to me and Olivia. And I never will, until I see both of them eliminated."

Sasha listened to the story, her eyes widening every second, until she eventually felt extremely fearful, finding these Brooke and Miles people incredibly frightening and threatening. Her body began to shake from fear as she looked around at everybody in the tribe.

"A-are...are either of them or...b-both of them in the tribe with us n-now...?" Sasha asked nervously, hoping desperately that Rebekah would negate it and say that both of them were on the other tribe. However, it wasn't the case as Rebekah stared at Sasha silently for a moment before slowly nodding and extending her hand and finger to point at somebody walking along the pathway in front of them, alone; Miles. Sasha followed her gaze and her eyes widened in fear.

"Sasha, listen to me. Miles is a deceitful, heartless person who will stop at nothing to make sure he succeeds in this game. He'll act nice, and he'll put on a friendly face, but it's all lies. He's try to manipulate you, trick you and use you to his benefit but no matter what you cannot fall for it because if you do he'll just control you and use you until he no longer needs you." Rebekah started, staring directly into Sasha's frightened eyes as she gave her a deadly serious warning. "The likelihood is Miles will instantly choose you as his prey because of your timid and easily frightened nature, and will find you as a perfect target for manipulation. But no matter what he says, no matter how much he tries to persuade and manipulate you, you cannot enter an alliance with him or believe what he says, because if you do he'll eventually betray you and eliminate you. I don't when, but it would happen. No doubt about it.

"I made the mistake of trusting him, and I don't want you to do the same. He threw it back in my face and eliminated my friend, and because of that I'll never forgive him." Rebekah finished, speaking seriously throughout the entire conversation and never averting her gaze from Sasha.

"Is...is there a way that we can just...avoid him and never have to talk to him...?" Sasha asked Rebekah, her voice and body shaking. With a sigh, Rebekah despondently shook her head.

"No, unfortunately there's no chance that we can completely avoid him. The tribe isn't big enough for that, and this game will never be big enough to allow someone to avoid someone else for the entirety of it. If we spent our time avoiding Miles then it could potentially ruin our social game because it could prevent us from talking to the others on the tribe and stops us from forming alliances." Rebekah said nervously, looking at the ground for a moment as she thought about this and feeling even more annoyed at having to be in a tribe with Miles.

Sasha stared at Rebekah in silence as the latter informed her of Miles' treacherous ways, her mind whirring with thoughts and nerves as she began to dread inevitably having to speak to Miles and pretend as if she had no clue about his true nature. However, for just a second, Sasha glanced up at Miles and a sudden thought crossed her mind, if only for just a moment. Sasha thought that, if Miles was so sneaky and devious, then she would rather be with him in an alliance than against him as an enemy, especially if he was going to gain lots of allies from his manipulation.

Rebekah instantly noticed the indecisiveness in Sasha's eyes and became filled with worry. Quickly, Rebekah tightened her grip on Sasha's arm to get her to break out of her stare and look back at her.

"Sasha, we're the only two people from the Sand Tribe in the Attackers. We need to stick together if we want to reunite with Gabby, Kevin and Zane at the real merge. I know you miss Ingrid so much, and whenever I think about the two of you it reminds me of when I lost Olivia, and I also miss Kevin and I'm worried about him being able to reach the merge, but we can't allow our grief to make stupid decisions. I realised this after Olivia was eliminated, and ever since the game has been much easier for me." Rebekah explained, looking down at the ground for a moment before slowly looking up at Sasha, and the two exchanged a long glance. "Sasha...do you promise that you'll stick by me, no matter what?"

Sasha looked at the ground in silence for a few moments and didn't respond, but just as Rebekah was starting to get worried Sasha looked back up.

"I promise." Sasha swore quietly. However, just as Rebekah began to feel relieved, Sasha softly retracted her hands from Rebekah's grip and looked up at her. "I just...need you to tell me one thing."

"Of course...anything." Rebekah asked uncomfortably, starting to feel nervous because of the serious look on Sasha's face.

"Did...did you truly believe that Ingrid was manipulating me and using me for her own benefit? Or...did you and Kevin just lie to get me on your side?" Sasha asked slowly and worriedly, hoping that Rebekah would just give her a straight answer by responding with the first choice.

Rebekah was extremely stunned by this question that, if answered wrongly, would completely give away her manipulation of Sasha's naivete. However, she knew she couldn't let the truth shine through as it would cause a huge wave of distrust between the two of them. Just as she began to answer, however, guilt flooded through her from having to constantly lie to Sasha and she faltered, instead staring pathetically at Sasha with a look on her face that told her everything she needed to know.

"I...I..." Sasha murmured, stammering constantly, as she slowly backed away from Rebekah, her heart broken in two. "I...I knew it!"

Then, before Rebekah could stop her, Sasha turned around and started running in the opposite direction, back the way they came, causing some members of the tribe to look at her before losing interest and returning to their own conversations. Rebekah stopped walking and stared sadly at Sasha's receding figure as she disappeared into the darkness.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I'm such an idiot...I'm so, so stupid! Of course Ingrid wasn't manipulating me, and I was an idiot for thinking that she ever did. She was just my friend and I believed the word of two random people without any proof over my friend I've trusted since the beginning of the game. Now she's gone, and it's too late...Ingrid, I'm so, so sorry..." Sasha whimpered in distress as tears streaked her face, running down her cheeks like a stream flowing through a valley. "It turns out Rebekah and Kevin were the ones who were manipulating me...lying to me...not Ingrid. I trusted them, and now...Ingrid's gone...it's all my fault!"**

 **...**

Jackie walked along the pathway alone, consumed with her own thoughts, until she remembered where she was and her eyes rested on Scar, one of two teammates who transferred to the Attackers with her and the only original Serenity Tribe member other than her on the team.

Deciding he was her best bet for an ally, at least for the moment, Jackie slowly and nervously made her way over to Scar, feeling dread and worry slowly begin to grow in her heart as she wondered how he would react to her presence. She soon reached him.

"Er...hey, Scar." Jackie offered a greeting, plastering on a fake smile, hoping it looked genuine. She hoped that he would return the favour with a greeting, or at the very least a nod or anything that acknowledged her presence, but Scar, with no emotion on his face whatsoever, simply sped up as if to get away from her.

Determined not to be ignored any longer by someone who was her ally only a few days ago, Jackie quickly reached out and grabbed his hand before he could escape her. By grabbing his hand, Jackie caused him to spin around and meet her eyes. During the second their eyes connected, Jackie detected extreme frustration in Scar's eyes and, feeling slightly unsafe, loosened her grip slightly. However, just as Scar was about to pull away, Jackie willed herself to be confident and tightened her grip on his wrist.

"Scar, listen to me. I know that, right now, you probably hate me and you'd rather be with anyone except me. I completely understand that. But, if you want to have a shot at winning this competition, it's a necessity that we both stick together because we're in a tribe filled with people who we've never talked to before. People who could be mischievous and devious. I mean, we both already know that one of the members of this tribe is completely untrustworthy." Jackie spoke, implying that the person who they both couldn't trust was Miles. "I know that right now you'd rather be with anybody else, but right now we're both in the same boat and, because of that, we should work together for the time being if we both want to win."

"...It's true that I would be safer in an alliance with you, but I definitely wouldn't feel safer. I know you only want a temporary alliance with me to make yourself feel better about your situation and as soon as a better opportunity comes around you're going to leap at it. Besides, if I aligned with you then the message Jayna's elimination gave me would be wasted; joining an alliance with you is bad news." Scar said firmly, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms as he spoke calmly to Jackie. "From now on, I'm playing this game alone. I no longer care about alliances; I'm focused only on winning immunity in whatever challenge is thrown at me."

"But there's no chance you're going to win immunity in every challenge!" Jackie exclaimed, her voice rising in volume as she became more desperate. "You're going to need a back-up plan for when you inevitably lose."

"If I'm eliminated, then I'm eliminated. It'll simply be my time, and there's nothing I can do to change that." Scar said logically, ignoring every bit of Jackie's persuasion and seemingly not being convinced by any of it. "Your mindset should be in the same position, instead of being in such a desperate place."

With that, Scar ended the conversation by turning around and walking away, this time for good. Jackie, suddenly feeling incredibly unnerved and on edge, watched Scar depart while thinking about what he said. With a start, Jackie realised that what Scar said to her might've been a subliminal warning, and that he might be targeting her because of what she did to Jayna.

With Scar almost out of sight, Jackie gritted her teeth, realising that if Scar was targeting her she needed to get rid of him before he eliminated her, no matter the cost.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"I'm sorry, Scar. I don't want to hurt you any further, but I'm not going to sit back and let you turn everyone against me and not do anything about it. I'm not going to let you cause my elimination just because I 'deserve it' because of what I did to Jayna. I have to keep my head in the game, especially because I'm pretty much on my own on a brand new tribe, and I can't let guilt distract me from that." Jayna said slowly and regretfully, looking at the camera worriedly and regretfully.**

 **...**

Arianna stalked along the pathway as if she was an owl searching for mice, about halfway through the pack, her arms by her side and her hands balled into fists. Despite not outwardly showing it, she was extremely irritated, furious even, about her current situation. With a groan of distaste, she glanced around at her tribe members, feeling nothing but exasperation and anger.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"This is absolutely ridiculous! These showrunners completely rig this show to make it more interesting for the viewers, and Chris is nothing but a pathetic, money-grabbing crook! As if these placements were random, give me a break! I wasn't born yesterday! Oh, what a coincidence, I've been separated from my only ally who was trustworthy and kept with the person on my old tribe who hated me the most! I would've taken Brooke over Griff in a heartbeat; even if both of them hated me, at least she can be manipulated easily! Griff knows exactly what I'm like, EXACTLY what I'm like, and I'm stuck with him. Now he's going to try to turn everyone in the tribe against me...unless I can get rid of him first." Arianna muttered in irritation, her hand placed under her chin as she tapped it in thought. After a few seconds, she gave a sigh of annoyance. "It pains me to think about it, but if I want to win this competition, or at least make it through to the merge, I'll have to go back to how I was at the start of this dumb, pointless competition."**

 **...**

Hearing a voice of greeting coming from behind her, Arianna swiftly twirled, going back to her girly, friendly, cheerful persona she obtained at the start of the game. Upon seeing Miles, she gave a fabricated smile of excitement as if she was happy to meet someone new. She ran forward and began shaking his hand vigorously.

"Hello! I'm Arianna, and it's great to meet you!" Arianna exclaimed joyfully, the fake smile still plastered on her face as if it was drawn on using make-up. "I love meeting new people, and when I heard we were all switching into new tribes I felt so happy!"

"I'm Miles. It's nice to meet you too." Miles introduced himself calmly, smiling softly. "I'm also looking forward to meeting everyone in the tribe and I hope we'll all get along and enjoy the time we have with each other."

As Arianna gave a nod to Miles, agreeing with him even though what she wanted to do was throw up in her mouth. As Miles spoke, Arianna's eyes drifted to her arm and she realised that it was a prosthetic. Once he had finished talking, Arianna decided to keep up her facade by giving Miles a look of sympathy.

"I...I noticed you have a prosthetic arm. I...hope you don't mind but...can I know...what happened to you...? I think you're so brave and strong to join a show like this, with the challenges so tough and potentially dangerous, with such a large disadvantage compared to the rest of us." Arianna lied, acting as if she cared and felt guilty for Miles but in reality she couldn't care less and thought of his disability as a method to manipulate him.

"..." Miles took a deep breath before he began, realising that if he chose his words carefully he could easily manipulate this new girl into trusting him and joining an alliance with him, just as he did to Brooke as they seemed to be similar personality-wise. "My family and I were travelling on the highway one day. It was just a regular day, and I never would've thought in a million years that anything would ever happen to me. But it did. Out of nowhere, an intoxicated driver slammed into our car. When I think hard enough, I can still feel the shudders juddering through my body."

Miles was cut off by Arianna's gasp of shock and horror, as she rose her hands to her mouth, her eyes widened as she continued to watch Miles tell his story.

"Thankfully, everybody, including myself, made it out of the car alive, and that's all that matters really, albeit me losing my left arm in the crash. I...I was only eleven years old." Miles murmured quietly, his tone sad and despondent as if he was reliving the moment when the doctors told him he was going to lose his left arm all over again.

"Oh...Miles...I'm deeply, deeply sorry for what happened to you..." Arianna mumbled, a sympathetic look in her eyes as she softly placed her hand on his arm to comfort him. Her gaze soon changed to the ground. "I could never imagine what it must be like to lose your arm and all the pain and trauma you went through...but I will say this. You're one of the toughest people I've ever met to be able to come on this show despite your disability."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Miles said gratefully, before letting out a small sigh. "Because of the immense costs of my prosthetic and medical bills, and also college bills, I decided that I needed to join this show so I could win the money and pay off all my debts and also provide some sort of stable future for myself with what I have left afterwards. It would definitely be a relief from constantly having to think about all the payments I'm struggling to get rid of."

"Miles...your story has truly touched my heart, and after listening to what happened to you an idea formed in my head that could get us both closer to winning the grand prize. Why don't we form an alliance?" Arianna suggested, keeping up her attempt at manipulating Miles into thinking she was way kinder than she really was. Miles stared at her, not reacting, but listening. "If we form an alliance early on in this tribe then it could help us to take control in the future and secure our places in the merge in the nearby future. If we leap at the opportunity before everyone else, we might have a chance at an easy ride to the next stage of the competition!"

"I have to admit, that suggestion _is_ a really good offer, but...how can you be sure that you can trust me? You know nothing about me." Miles said to Arianna, still trying to work out whether this girl was really as friendly as she was portraying herself to be. After hearing his question, Arianna stared at Miles in silence for a few seconds.

"I think I just know...deep down in my heart, that you would be an honest, true, trustworthy alliance member who would be amazing to work with and I promise that I would be the same in return." Arianna lied, still sceptical over this enigma of a contestant. However, she needed an ally for the time being, so she decided to grasp at the opportunity she had in front of her.

Miles stared at her, contemplating for a few moments, examining her face as if he was trying to burn his way through her skull into her mind and see what she was really thinking, just in case her true intentions included her being deceitful or manipulative. After a few seconds of quick thinking, Miles gave Arianna a small nod and the girl gave him a wide grin. She offered her his hand and he grabbed it firmly.

However, while they shook hands, securing their bond of trust, through their smiling faces, promising words and kind eyes both of them were lying completely and utterly through their teeth, both of them knowing full well they would do whatever they had to do to succeed in the competition. Despite them both pretending as if they cared about each other, both knew that they would betray the other and think nothing of it if it guaranteed their own safety into further stages of the game.

After they finished shaking hands, Arianna looked behind Miles' shoulder at Scar and Jackie, the former walking a few metres ahead of the latter who was staring at him desperately. She knew that Miles had arrived to the Attackers with both of them, and she was interested in knowing a small bit of information about the relationship the three of them shared.

"Were you in an alliance with either of those two before you came here? Would they be good in an alliance? We need to get our numbers up if we want a majority." Arianna pointed out, quick to show her want to add people to their small alliance.

Miles remained calm, not showing anything on his face, but he knew that if they attempted to add Jackie and Scar to the alliance they would instantly exploit him for his treacherous and manipulative ways. At the same time, he didn't want to make it obvious that he was against the opportunity as it would undoubtedly make Arianna suspicious because she definitely wasn't a stupid person. He knew he had to choose his words carefully or he could ruin his chances of an alliance with Arianna before it even truly began.

"Choosing to recruit Jackie and Scar would be a bad idea, whether it was one or both of them." Miles said with a small shake of head as he turned around to look at them, before turning back to Arianna. "To tell the truth, my time on the Serenity Tribe was a time of total fear and worry for me. I never felt truly safe while I was on that tribe, and I was glad to finally hear that I was getting away from it. Nobody on that tribe was ever honest, and every promise anybody made was laced with lies; I only got out of being eliminated first because there was one other person than me who was honest, and the liars in the tribe snapped her up before she could do anything to defend herself. If my tribe lost again, I no doubt would've been eliminated next."

Arianna, after hearing that, slowly looked at Jackie and Scar again and gave her ally a small nod, unsure if she completely believed what he said because, even though he sounded believable, his claims seemed a bit too convenient and coincidental to be true.

"How about you?" Miles asked, snapping Arianna out of her doubts towards his testimony. Arianna looked at him, confused, until he clarified. "Were you in an alliance with anybody on your old tribe who's on this tribe with us now?"

"Ugh, don't even talk to me about the people on _my_ tribe!" Arianna groaned in irritation, shooting down the suggestion instantly unlike Miles who danced around it for a few moments, revealing the differences in their strategies. "I was in the worst possible position, probably out of everybody in the entire competition before I met you. I have no idea how I ever lasted this long! Of course Griff, the worst member of my old tribe, is the only one who stays with me. What are the chances of that?! He's been against me ever since day one of the competition, and it's for the pettiest reason ever.

On the first day, we decided to nominate somebody as a team leader. I don't know why, maybe it's because I was the most open person on the tribe, but I was nominated as the leader. Griff didn't like that, though, because _he_ wanted to be the leader. Luckily, his attempts to eliminate me always fell through because my allies were incredibly loyal, and because of that we managed to eliminate everybody in Griff's alliance, everybody against me, except for Griff himself. But now that we've merged, I've been split apart from my two allies and left with him." Arianna finished, a look of worry on her face as she glanced forward at Griff who was almost at the front of the group, walking alone like many of the other contestants on the tribe. "Knowing what Griff's like, he'll most likely stop at nothing to spread lies about me and get me eliminated just as a petty revenge because I was nominated as tribe leader back on our old tribe."

"Unfortunately, the two of us aren't in the best position. Almost the majority of the entire tribe is against us in some way." Miles muttered in dismay, not liking their current positions. Arianna nodded.

"The only one to assure our safety and gain a majority is to get the other two members of the tribe on our side; the only two who don't have anything to hold against us with." Arianna said slowly as she thought about their precarious situation. "Rebekah and Sasha, the two who came from the Sand Tribe, and coincidentally the only tribe neither of us have been on."

At this, however, Miles couldn't help feeling slightly uncomfortable as he remembered what he did to Rebekah during the first few days of the competition back when he was on the now extinct tribe, the Sea Tribe, with Mike, Olivia and Brooke. He knew already that Rebekah would never agree to be in an alliance with him because he manipulated her into indirectly causing Olivia's elimination, and even if she did agree she would undoubtedly be secretly plotting his elimination behind his back with the other members of the tribe. However, if he let Arianna know that Rebekah, along with Scar and Jackie, wasn't suitable for their alliance, then she would definitely begin to suspect that Miles was the sneaky, devious one, not them. So, thinking about this, a plan began formulating in Miles' mind.

"Of course. I mean, it's our only option for the time being. Also, we can hopefully recruit them both at the exact same time as well because they might already be in an alliance from when they were on the Sand Tribe together." Miles pointed out, causing Arianna to nod and smile as she realised this.

"Yeah, sounds good!" Arianna agreed, smiling cheerily. She then looked at Miles, her eyes soft and kind despite it all being an act, same as Miles. "Thank you for agreeing to be in an alliance with me, Miles. I really mean it, and I hope you won't regret it in the future."

"It's okay Arianna. I'm happy to be in an alliance with you, and I hope and think it'll last a long time." Miles said, also smiling despite not acting as happy as Arianna was. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "If we both play our cards right, we might be guaranteed a ticket into the next stage of the game."

Arianna smiled at this, and Miles smiled in response, both of them being completely fake while also slightly suspicious that the other was acting the same way.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"Based on her body language, I'm almost certain that there's nothing truthful in what Arianna told me. From the first moment she spoke to me, I could instantly tell that she was fabricating her 'happy attitude'. From what I've seen so far, she may be my largest opponent yet, which is why I'm relieved that we're both on the same side, at least for the time being. Hopefully, she couldn't see that I was also faking my words, but I think I was persuasive enough in my act to fool her." Miles said thoughtfully as he recalled his first conversation with his new ally. "However, a problem is Rebekah would never agree to being in an alliance with me, and because of that I'll have to extend my search, even if that means Arianna won't know about it. I'm going to do whatever I need to do to win this game."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"Hmmm...I'm really not sure if I can trust Miles. He's very mysterious, too much of an enigma for my tastes, and I can't help feeling that some of what he said wasn't the truth. I have a really good sensor for things like that, so I should definitely follow my gut instinct and not trust Miles with my position in this game unless he proves his loyalty, or I absolutely have to. I'll have to keep an eye on him, but aligning with him is my best bet right now, at least until I have a better opportunity for more reliable allies in the future. All I have to do is make sure he doesn't know about, and never knows about what I'm really like and I should be okay." Arianna mumbled, slightly concerned with the thought of Miles not believing her act and finding her suspicious as she couldn't afford that at the moment with only one ally. The reason for why she was so nervous, other than the fact that Miles was quite intimidating, was that she wasn't used to her fellow competitors being as intelligent and observant as Miles.**

 **...**

Griff stood on the pathway, motionless, watching Arianna fake her way through a conversation with one of the members of his new tribe whom he had never spoken to before in disgust. Rolling his eyes in irritation, Griff wished that he could just walk up to the person Arianna was speaking to and reveal the truth about what she was really like, but he knew that as he was on a new tribe he had to stay under the radar and be careful if he wanted to stay in the competition, especially considering the fact that at the moment, because Brooke was on the Defenders, he had no allies.

It still didn't change the fact that watching Arianna act all happy disgusted him, however.

Just as he was about to look away from Arianna and Miles' discussion after a few minutes of thinking about how cunning she was, Rebekah quickly walked past him, clearly upset and distressed about something. Griff noticed her wiping her eyes, and suddenly felt extremely sympathetic for her. Knowing that, other than helping out someone who was sad, he could potentially form an alliance and a friend in an otherwise dark and dismal tribe, Griff walked after her, eventually catching her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked out of the blue as he walked next to her. Rebekah glanced to her side in surprise, shocked that a random stranger was showing concern for her. She slowly nodded, wiping her eyes again.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. I just...had an argument. It'll probably be okay soon enough though, so there's no need to worry about me." Rebekah answered gratefully, a soft smile rising to her lips. Griff smiled and nodded, beginning to walk away from her, when out of the corner of her eye Rebekah noticed Miles talking to Arianna and she gave a groan of disagreement. "It doesn't help that I'm back in a tribe with Miles, especially because he's already started on his manipulation."

Hearing this peaked Griff's interest, as only a few seconds prior to this he was feeling annoyed at Arianna for talking to Miles because of her devious and manipulative tendencies. Deciding to continue their conversation, Griff turned back around.

"I've never talked to Miles before." Griff murmured, and Rebekah looked at him. Feeling his curiosity growing, Griff walked back over to her. "If you don't mind me asking, what's he done to you?"

"He's pure evil. Him, along with a girl from my old tribe who I'm guessing must be on the other tribe now, Brooke, tricked me and my friend Olivia by telling us different voting targets in private while they secretly worked together behind our backs. Because of this, Olivia and I voted for different people while Miles and Brooke, who had been in a secret alliance the entire time we were on the Sea Tribe as far as I know voted for Olivia, eliminating her." Rebekah explained her story which was still fresh in her mind, even though the event actually took place almost at the start of the competition. "I'm still absolutely furious at myself for falling for it and ever since it happened I've wanted revenge on both Brooke and Miles for Olivia. Looking at him now, I feel so guilty for the poor girl who he's no doubt manipulating."

Griff, after hearing the story, couldn't help dropping his mouth open in pure shock at the part where Rebekah mentioned that Brooke was actually part of what Miles did to her, as he thought Brooke was nice and kind, and one of the friendliest people in the entire competition. As his vision of Brooke in his mind began to change and become distorted, Griff realised that he had been silent for a few moments now and if he was quiet for any longer then Rebekah would find it strange.

"Rebekah, Arianna is in no way a 'poor' girl, and if you want advice from someone who was on a tribe with her I'd suggest for you to stay away from her as she's extremely manipulative, deceitful and she would lie about anything to simply get her own way. Being in an alliance with her is not good for anyone, and I had enough of an experience with her just being on her tribe." Griff warned Rebekah, who listened carefully to and entirely believed his true caution. After he finished, she nodded slowly.

"Thank you for telling me." Rebekah said, then she smirked slightly as she looked back at Arianna and Miles. "It's funny, though. Both of them are trying to manipulate each other without knowing the other is probably doing the same to them."

Griff nodded in agreement at this, grinning.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"At least I'm not completely alone on this new tribe after all! I talked to Rebekah, and even though I haven't asked her if she wants to be in an alliance with me yet, she seems like a really nice girl! The thing is though, the more I think about that, the more I think about Brooke apparently being a nice girl. But based on what Rebekah told me...Brooke really isn't friendly at all. Everything Rebekah told me about Brooke working with Miles...and being...deceitful...I just can't believe it. What if Brooke was manipulating me the entire time I knew her, while I thought of her as a friend? It's true that Rebekah could be lying, but I don't see why she would, especially because Brooke isn't even in our tribe and it'll be a long time before either of us see her again. I'm trying not to think it, but after what Rebekah told me...Brooke is really starting to remind me of Arianna..." Griff muttered uncertainly, sounding uncomfortable and worried.**

 **...**

 **The Defenders _(Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Adam, Brooke and Gabby)_**

Oswald and Connor both walked together on the pathway, sticking together in their alliance, right at the back so they had a view of everybody. While Oswald was focusing completely, his eyes flickering from one person's back to another, trying to work out the alliances and who would eventually join together based on what he knew about them thus far.

Connor, on the other hand, was doing the complete opposite to Oswald; instead of concentrating, like he should've been doing as they had just entered a new tribe and they needed to work out what everybody's personalities were like so they could decide who would be the best people to work with, he was just feeling sad and despondent about Jackie, as she was no longer with them and she was on her own on a completely new tribe.

To add to this, Connor was also feeling uncomfortable about what Miles told him about Oswald, warning him about his 'true' intentions. However, as he was stuck with only Oswald and nobody else from the Serenity Tribe at the moment, Connor decided to ignore Miles' warning as he knew Oswald for much longer and he decided he knew him better than Miles did.

"Adam's seems to be the 'silent type' sort of contestant, like Scar was. They don't seem much different personality-wise." Oswald murmured quietly to Connor, his eyes focused on Adam who was walking alone, silent, by the trees, almost hidden in the darkness. "However, he might be hiding his true intelligence with silence and we should watch him carefully."

Oswald waited for a response from Connor for a few seconds but, when one didn't come, he looked to his right and saw that Connor's gaze was directed at the ground, and he likely hadn't been listening to anything Oswald just told him. Instantly sensing that something was the matter, Oswald stopped talking about the members of their tribe they had never talked to before and focused on his ally for the time being.

"Connor, is something wrong?" Oswald asked firmly, causing his ally to snap out of his deep thoughts and look at Oswald, a shocked expression on his face as if he just realised he was awake and not in a dream.

"N-no...not really. I just...feel really bad for Jackie. I mean, she's on her own on the other tribe, with no allies and Scar, who she betrayed. He'll probably be looking for a way to eliminate her and, I-I just feel worried for her. She might be eliminated before the merge..." Connor expressed nervously, admitting his fears to Oswald who listened carefully. After Connor finished, an uncomfortable look crossed Oswald's face.

"Connor, I feel the same way. Jackie's our ally, and of course we're going to feel worried for her. But, for now, and I know it's hard, we need to move away from Jackie and focus on ourselves. We may be worried about Jackie not reaching the merge, but if we think about her too much we might forget to focus on ourselves and we could end up eliminated before we even realise it. If we let our guards down for just a second, especially in a new tribe, the others will snap us up and get rid of us and we won't be able to do a single thing about it." Oswald informed his ally, hoping that he would see sense and focus on his current situation instead of somebody else who he wouldn't be able to talk to again until the merge. "Jackie is at a disadvantage, we both know that, because she's on her own with no allies to help or save her, but I believe she'll manage to find a way to remain in the game and, at the very least, the two of us should be grateful that we're together."

"...Yeah...yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, I was acting childish." Connor nodded in agreement with what Oswald said, slightly ashamed of himself. "We need to prioritise ourselves. We need to start thinking about having a temporary alliance while we're on this tribe, and rejoining with Brooke at the merge."

"Yes. Without an alliance, we'll be at a huge risk. Because we don't know anybody except ourselves, we'll have to take our time to gradually get to know everybody before we make an advance, because we don't want to leap in too fast and end up with an untrustworthy ally. On the other hand, we can't wait too long and result in us risking our safety in the competition."

"Yeah." Connor nodded in agreement, before deciding to ask Oswald another question as he was incredibly good at reading people and seeing what they were like personality-wise and strategy-wise, while Connor himself wasn't very good at that area of skill. "Is anybody sticking out so far to you? As a good ally?"

Oswald, after thinking for a few seconds, looking at everybody in turn, slowly lifted up his arm and extended his finger, starting from the very left of everybody who was in front of them, talking about everybody in turn.

"Based on what I've already observed, Gabby, Kevin and Zane are likely in an alliance because they're the only people other than us who're walking together and talking to each other while seemingly avoiding everyone else, so they could bring a lot of trouble for us because they already almost have a majority in this tribe." Oswald began, looking at the trio while talking to Connor. As he spoke, Connor himself looked between Oswald and the alliance, nodding whenever Oswald said anything he found important. "Brooke and Adam are both clearly on their own, with no allies, so the other alliance will probably either target them two to eliminate them, or bring them into their alliance. I've noticed something else about Brooke and Adam, though; they keep shooting daggers at each other, so I'm guessing they weren't on best terms with each other while they were on the Sky Tribe."

"Hmmm...okay...so, are you implying that we should align with Gabby, Zane and Kevin to eliminate Adam and Brooke?" Connor asked Oswald, inferring the information from what Oswald just told him. However, Oswald shook his head.

"No, that would be the easy option." Oswald said, confusing Connor and causing him to look at Oswald, perplexed. "I think we should make an alliance with Adam and Brooke."

"But...you just said that the two of them don't like each other?" Connor pointed out, unsure what Oswald was talking about and thinking that it would make much more sense simply to join Gabby, Zane and Kevin's alliance.

"Okay, here's my explanation. If we align with Kevin, Zane and Gabby and vote out Brooke and Adam, the merge will likely still be a long way off and thus, after Brooke and Adam's elimination, the two of us would instantly become targets because the trio alliance wouldn't choose us over each other. Then, if we lost again, either me or you would be eliminated and the other would be left on their own." Oswald explained, and Connor nodded, not liking the idea of being outnumbered by Zane, Gabby and Kevin after they got rid of Brooke and Adam. "However, if we worked on Adam and Brooke, and managed to get them to agree to be in an alliance together if we brought up the safety aspect, even if they still didn't like each other, we could get rid of Gabby, Zane and Kevin as we would have majority. After that, if we lost again and it still wasn't the merge, we could use the hatred the two have for each other to our advantage and use it to get one of them on our side, while we eliminate the other. Then, for whatever reason, if it still wasn't the merge, we could simply eliminate whoever was left, whether it was Brooke or Adam."

"...Wow..." Connor uttered in complete shock, absolutely bewildered at how far Oswald went in the future despite him only thinking about it for a few seconds. "I have to say, Oswald, I wish I was as intelligent and smart as you are. You're literally amazing to think up something so good! I'm lucky to be in an alliance with you. I definitely agree with your plan; we should attempt to recruit Brooke and Adam."

Oswald smiled at this, but it soon faded.

"I'm glad you agree. But we need to act fast, however, because if any of the three people on the other alliance have a shred of intelligence, they'll also likely try to get Brooke and Adam on their side because they're way easier targets for manipulation as they're on their own, instead of us as we're in an alliance." Oswald informed Connor, who nodded in understanding.

"It'll be tough for us to persuade Adam and Brooke to join us before the other alliance realises they need them though, because we need to quickly persuade them to join forces even though they hate each other." Connor said, catching onto Oswald's plan.

"We can do it. I know we can." Oswald said hopefully and confidently, and Connor smiled and nodded in return.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"Okay...this merge was a huge shock, but it isn't all that bad, I suppose...I mean, I have to be grateful that I'm not in the worst position out of everybody. I mean, at least I have one of my allies with me, and we have a good plan set out. At least I'm not in Jackie's shoes, or Brooke's or Adam's, being completely alone...I'd absolutely hate that and it would fill me with so much worry. I just hope Oswald's plan works..." Connor murmured nervously, his voice shaking slightly with worry. "Jackie can make it, though. I know she can, and I shouldn't feel worried. She's clever, she persuasive, and I'm sure she'll find some sort of alliance. Actually, she probably already has! Then, when the true merge comes along, the three of us; Jackie, Oswald and myself will all be together again, all of us with a great chance at winning."**

 **...**

Meanwhile, while Oswald and Connor were discussing their plans for the future, the other alliance which consisted of Gabby, Zane and Kevin were all walking together along the pathway, headed in the direction of their new camp. While Gabby seemed to be worry-free, despite them being on a new tribe filled with strangers, Zane glanced around suspiciously at everybody to see if anyone was looking at them and Kevin stared at the ground as he walked, completely silent unlike the other two, feeling worried and nervous for both Rebekah, who was on the other tribe, and also for himself.

"Well, to be honest, I don't think our situation could get any better!" Gabby exclaimed obnoxiously with a wide, cheerful grin on her face. While Zane ignored her, focusing on looking at everybody else, Kevin couldn't help looking up and shooting a glare in her direction.

"Really? Well, I don't think it could get any _worse_. Rebekah's on her own on the other tribe! Imagine how nervous she is. I just wish that at least one of us was with her so she wasn't completely alone." Kevin replied, slightly annoyed with Gabby's pure ignorance.

Hearing this, Gabby turned to Kevin with a condescending and antagonising smirk on her face, placing her hands firmly on her hips.

"I think Rebekah being on her own is for the best. Actually, it's not for the best. It's the best thing that could happen!" Gabby said, before breaking out into loud laughter and causing Kevin's face to heat up in both embarrassment and anger. "At least now you'll finally stop sucking up to your pretty little girlfriend long enough to maybe actually focus on the game and realise you're part of a winner takes all competition!"

Kevin gasped in shock at this comment, not expecting Gabby to be so rash and upfront about her opinion. Hurt at what she said, Kevin turned to look at Zane, who was still focusing on everyone else, hoping he would stick up for him.

"Why is Gabby even in our alliance?" Kevin asked Zane, ignoring what Gabby said. To this, Zane simply gave a shrug before breaking away from the other members of the tribe for a moment to look at Kevin and Gabby.

"Because she's a valued member of our alliance, Kevin. She's the strongest one out of all of us, both physically and mentally, and she's extremely cunning which is why she's an amazing asset to this alliance. If you're implying that we should exile her, I'm going to tell you now there's no way that's happening because we just arrived on this new tribe and getting rid of an ally at the start of a new stage is one of the stupidest things you can do." Zane told Kevin logically. As his ally gave a sigh of disappointment, Zane glanced at Gabby for a moment before looking back at Zane. "Besides...what she said about you isn't exactly wrong, you have to give her that."

"What...? But I thought we made up!" Kevin exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening in pure shock at Zane once again siding with Gabby over him.

Zane, in response, gave Kevin a silent, empty stare, which only made Kevin feel even worse. Feeling outnumbered, Kevin slowly backed away before turning around and walking in the other direction away from the two of them, not uttering another word. However, just as they were almost out of his sight, something popped into his head and, unable to hold it back, Kevin spun around and stalked back over to Zane and Gabby who were in the middle of a conversation.

"You know, the two of you were getting angry at me for being so close to Rebekah, but just look at yourselves now! You're even worse than I was with Rebekah, and you two aren't even in a relationship! You may as well be, though, considering you side with each other on everything lately." Kevin interrupted accusingly, causing Zane and Gabby to stop talking to each other and look at him, waiting for him to get his rant over with. Kevin narrowed his eyes at both of them. "You're hypocrites, both of you."

Gabby smiled playfully at this, and slowly began walking towards Kevin until she was only inches away from his face. Kevin stood his ground and didn't back away, despite feeling nervous.

"Can't you see? What do you expect, Kevin? You and Rebekah were constantly whispering to each other, involved in your own conversations, and Zane and I were pretty much on our own! So, naturally, we made friends. And now that you've been separated from your annoying, bratty girlfriend, you don't like us talking to each other? You're calling us the hypocrites, but you're so much worse!" Gabby pointed out, causing Kevin to growl in frustration due to the fact that gabby always had something to come back at him with.

"You two are excluding me just for the sake of it! This isn't how an alliance is supposed to work!" Kevin shouted, his voice getting louder and louder as every second went by. Gabby leaned in even closer to Kevin, now only a few centimetres away from him.

"It doesn't feel nice to be excluded, does it? Now you know how we felt." Gabby whispered intimidatingly, and Kevin couldn't help feeling slightly frightened. "We could easily expel you from the alliance, Kevin, and if you don't start being careful you could be on your own soon. Do you want that?"

Knowing she wasn't bluffing, and realising that Zane would side with her if it came down to it, Kevin decided to go along with it and tentatively shook his head, feeling upset and worried about his future in the alliance and, by extension, the competition.

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"I hate this! I absolutely hate this! This is the worst thing that could ever happen to me! I mean, I'm glad I'm in an alliance and all, bu-wait, I don't think I'm even happy about that! Gabby and Zane don't treat me equally at all, and I'm practically the doormat that leads into the alliance's house. I miss Rebekah so, so much, and I feel so bad for her, being on her own on the other tribe...but, even if it meant that I would have to leave Zane and Gabby's stupid alliance, I would do anything to be with her. Anything." Kevin muttered, partly annoyed by Gabby and Zane and partly upset by the fact that he was no longer with Rebekah.**

 **...**

Brooke walked on the pathway on her own, sighing despondently. She hadn't been without allies since the very first day of the game, and she wasn't used to being on her own without anyone to have her back. Now that she was all on her alone, she felt worried and frightened, knowing that at the moment if her new tribe lost the very first immunity challenge she would be a huge target.

Brooke glanced around at everybody, realising that she wasn't the only person on her new tribe who was completely on their own; Adam, the other person who came with her from the Sky Tribe, was also alone. This made her slightly happy, as she knew that she wasn't the only scapegoat on the tribe, but she also felt slightly worried as it was going to be her against Adam, and the other members of the tribe may find him to be more valuable because of his immense physical strength compared to Brooke's. To add to this, Brooke also realised that nobody from her original tribe, the Sea Tribe, was with her; she noted that it must mean that Miles and Rebekah were both together on the Attackers.

Feeling slightly nervous, Brooke quickly glanced behind her shoulder to see Connor and Oswald both walking together, talking in hushed voices, and then looked back in front of her to see Gabby, Kevin and Zane, who were talking louder than they probably realised. As the two separate groups were walking together, Brooke assumed that they were part of two separate alliances. With dismay, Brooke realised that, unless she joined one of these alliances, she would be on her own during her time in the tribe because she definitely, under any circumstances, did _not_ want to align with Adam.

Brooke knew that she would have to think on her toes so she could quickly work out which alliance would be the best for her and bring her the greatest benefit. she was hoping to get her pick of the cattle before Adam leapt in and stole one of her options from her. As she thought about this, she registered that even though Gabby, Zane and Kevin were larger in number, and if she joined them she would be in the majority, she didn't want to join an alliance just because it secured her safety, as that was the reason for why she joined Arianna and Adam's alliance back in the Sky Tribe which she soon regretted.

Brooke decided that she only wanted to join an alliance if she found them trustworthy, and if they seemed as if they would respect her and actually treat her like a human being, which Arianna and Adam didn't do in the slightest. Thus, Brooke chose to take her time deciding which alliance would be the best for her, whether it would be the duo of Oswald and Connor, or the trio of Gabby, Zane and Kevin.

Suddenly, as she was getting more and more wrapped up in her thoughts, she suddenly felt someone tapping on her shoulder. Realising that it must be Oswald and Connor, she took a deep breath, realising that this would be her first potential opportunity to form her first alliance on her new tribe. However, as she turned around, a wide smile on her face, she was surprised to see who was standing there, waiting to talk to her.

Adam.

All of a sudden, the joy vanished from Brooke's face and was replaced with shock, confusion and annoyance as she stared at Adam who stared right back at her, nothing but irritation and boredom in his deceitful eyes. Brooke gave an obvious sigh, showing that she didn't want to talk to Adam, before folding her arms and waiting for him to speak. He didn't, however, so Brooke rolled her eyes and started the conversation herself.

"What do you want, Adam?" She asked firmly, no emotion in her voice except for impatience. Adam, not liking her attitude, glared at Brooke.

"Well, I don't really care that much-actually, I don't care in the slightest, but I suppose that it just popped into my head for a second that I was just wondering if that temporary truce we all made two days ago is still being upheld, and if the two of us are going to be in an alliance while we're on this stupid tribe." Adam said, averting his eyes from Brooke's and speaking quickly as if he wanted the conversation to be over as soon as possible. "I don't care about this truce, by the way, but I was just wondering because I don't exactly want to be on my own at the start of being on a new tribe and if the two of us could stand each other, at least until we find other allies, it could make us seem more powerful and the others would think less of us as prey and more of us as predators, rather than if we were on our own where we'd pretty much be injured gazelles."

Brooke understood that Adam was right, but just as she was about to comply without thinking, she stopped herself. She reminded herself that she needed to be logical from now on, and she couldn't be spitting out whatever words first popped into her head, especially because there were only fourteen people left in the competition and they just entered a new tribe. Brooke began thinking about and remembering how Adam was and what his personality was like while the two of them were on the Sky Tribe together, and she realised that she didn't want to deal with all the drama and fights that came with Adam all over again. So, thinking logically, Brooke took a step back from Adam and shook her head confidently and in determination.

"No. I don't want to be in an alliance with you again, Adam, and you only have yourself to blame for that. It's your own fault." Brooke refused Adam's offer, staring directly into his eyes while she spoke so he knew she was being completely genuine. At this, Adam rolled his eyes.

"I didn't actually _want_ to be in an alliance with you, you idiot. Why don't you get off your high horse and realise you're not perfect? I only wanted to _temporarily_ align with you until I found better people, which probably wouldn't take long because pretty much anyone in the competition is better than you, except Griff. I only wanted to preserve my safety for the time being." Adam muttered, his face darkening in frustration at being made a fool of. Then, he shot Brooke a furious glare. "To tell you the truth, I can't think of anything worse than being in an alliance with you."

With that, Adam swiftly walked past her, stomping ahead quickly to get away from her. Brooke watched him leave, a relieved smile rising to her lips as she felt that, potentially for the first time in the entire competition, she had made a good decision. As Adam disappeared into the darkness of the growing night, Brooke decided that she would play the game alone for the time being until she found the right alliance for her; one that would respect her and treat her like an equal member.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"You know, even though I'm on my own right now, against two alliances and somebody who hates me, I feel hopeful. I think I can actually do this! I think I might be able to actually win this game! Now that I'm finally,** _finally_ **away from Arianna and her manipulative schemes and deceitful nature, I ca finally breathe in the fresh air of freedom. I miss Griff, of course I do, but I know he'll make it through for definite. Either way, from now on I'm playing this game by myself, for myself!" Brooke exclaimed confidently and cheerfully, a wide, joyful smile dancing on her lips and her eyes filled with sparkling hope.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"Argh, that stupid, idiotic, _dumb_ , _annoying_...ugh, well, whatever. It doesn't matter. To be honest, I'm _glad_ she refused me. I don't think I would've been able to handle being in an alliance with her all over again, and now I'm just glad I'll get to keep all my hair instead of tearing it all out! Still though, without any allies I look weak and vulnerable, which could cause me some trouble in the near future. I need to get my hands on at least one ally so I can throw them under the bus if need be until the merge when I can join back with Arianna again. And when I do join an alliance, whether it's with those two boys or that trio of two boys and one girl, you can just guess at who my first target is going to be." Adam exclaimed, his voice incredibly loud, so blaring that he thought he was going to shout the confessional area down. He was seething with pure rage, his voice black like thunder, and he was glaring at the camera as if he was annoyed by its mere presence. "I don't care if I should focus on logic, or majority...I want to get rid of Brooke, and I want to get rid of her now."**

 **...**

 **Day 11**

 **The Attackers _(Miles, Scar, Griff, Sasha, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie)_**

Miles and Arianna, the new alliance, both stood together in a small clearing fairly deep in the forest of the old Serenity Tribe's camp, in the middle of a deep, important conversation.

"How did you sleep last night?" Arianna asked Miles sweetly, still keeping up her fake 'nice girl' persona, giving her ally a kind and thoughtful smile which in reality was completely fabricated from years of experience. "I couldn't sleep a wink! To be honest, I was up all night tossing and turning over and over, and I think it's because I'm in a new camp and it'll take me some time to get used to it."

"I slept fine, thank you for asking. I would probably be the same as you too if I was placed in a different tribe's camp, like I was when I was moved from the Sea Tribe to the Serenity Tribe, but luckily for me I was kept in the same camp I've been in for a few days now and so I slept fine."

"Oh yeah, I forgot that this is your third tribe now. Is it annoying, constantly having to switch between tribes every few days? I don't know what it's like, because I was in the Sky Tribe from the beginning until I was moved here yesterday, so I've only been in two different tribes."

Miles gave Arianna a shrug in response to her question.

"To tell you the truth, I haven't gotten close or particularly friendly with any of my past tribemates I've had with me so far, and so whenever I move tribes I'm not really that emotionally affected like most of the contestants would be. Instead of thinking about how my friends are on the other tribe, and how well they'll get by, I instead think about how moving tribes will affect my strategy and alliance formations, and if it will change them for the best or the worst." Miles explained, and Arianna nodded in understanding, realising that she was much more alike to Miles than she originally thought.

"On the topic of alliances, we seriously need to start thinking about ours and who we're going to add to it as undoubtedly soon everyone else in the tribe will start to catch onto what we're trying to do and form their own alliances. If we don't get a head start, we could get left behind and end up eliminated." Arianna warned Miles, who nodded in agreement, as the thought of adding people to their alliance had also crossed his mind multiple times.

"Who were you thinking?" Miles asked, wanting to get an idea of who Arianna thought would be a valuable ally. Arianna began tapping her chin in thought, acting as if she was thinking about it even though she had decided who she wanted in their alliance a long time ago.

"Well, because you shot down Scar and Jackie as they're huge liars and incredibly manipulative, they're definitely out of the equation because I don't want people like that working with us, who could potentially be working against us behind our backs. Actually, they should probably be the first people we should target and get rid of." Arianna suggested, and Miles nodded, giving his permission and agreement to her plan. "Now, because our alliance is made up of only two people and we've already excluded two people, that means out of the other three we need to recruit at least two; Sasha, Rebekah and Griff."

"Sasha should definitely be one of our allies." Miles said confidently and certainly, as if he was stopping Arianna from objecting before the thought could even enter her mind, continuing off from their conversation from yesterday. "Even though she wouldn't be very helpful in challenges because of her presumably low physical ability, I'm almost certain that she'll be easily persuadable as she's seems to be very timid and constantly nervous from what I've seen of her so far. In fact, we probably wouldn't need to try too hard to get her on our side."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Arianna said, struggling to keep her obnoxious, loud, controlling nature behind bars as she was used to suggesting everything herself and didn't like debating in the slightest as she always found herself to be right. "We'll work on her later, but first we need to decide on whether we should get Griff or Rebekah."

"We should choose Griff." Miles said quickly, and he realised after he said it that he said it far too rapidly for his liking and that he probably came across as suspicious to Arianna. However, he remained calm and justified himself. "From my experience back on the Sea Tribe during the early stages of the game, Rebekah was extremely obnoxious and constantly rude and antagonising, and she always, _always_ thought she was right. Also, her and her creepily similar friend Olivia almost eliminated me, but thankfully they chose my ally, Mike, instead, and I was saved. If they chose me as their target instead of Mike, I no doubt would've been the first contestant eliminated, and it all would've been Rebekah's fault."

Of course, that entire story was a complete fabrication, but Miles spoke it so convincingly despite the pressure that Arianna instantly believed it and didn't think for a second that it could potentially be a lie. However, Arianna wasn't willing to give in as she didn't want to align with Griff because she knew that he would tell Miles about what she was really like, and she couldn't have that.

"But having an ally who's good at manipulation and a good liar could actually be helpful to us, if only they were loyal, as they could help us to gain more allies in the future by convincing them with whatever means necessary. Also, they could turn other alliances against each other and cause break-ups or dissolves, which would make it easier for her to find targets and eliminate them as if they were headless chickens." Arianna pointed out, keeping her voice calm, knowing that if she began to raise her voice or show a sign of irritation then Miles would be pushed even further away from wanting to align with Rebekah. "Adding Rebekah to the alliance is a really good potential option, and I don't want us to lose the opportunity just because she has deceitful tendencies."

"I agree that she would definitely be helpful, but only if she was loyal. We have to think about the other end of the spectrum, if Rebekah wasn't willing to stick with us through everything and she decides to betray us. Arianna, you need to understand that I'm not exaggerating when I say that Rebekah is willing to lie to and manipulate anyone in the entire competition, and if she's happy to do it to those outside of her alliance, then she'll no doubt have any qualms over doing it to people inside the alliance also if she found a better option in the form of another alliance." Miles pointed out reasonably, and Arianna realised with worry that she was starting to lose him and soon the only option would be Griff, which is exactly what Miles wanted.

With a sigh, Arianna realised that, as every second passed, she was beginning to struggle to keep up her fake friendly, kind personality and the reason for that was because she hates losing debates or arguments, and she knew full well that she was starting to lose this alliance discussion. If she was honest with herself, Arianna wanted nothing more than to scream at Miles and shout her ideals in his face, but she knew she had to stay calm or else she could potentially wind up eliminated.

"...Yeah, you're right..." Arianna murmured, annoyed, realising she had lost and now Griff would join the alliance and tell Miles all about her. Panic beginning to settle in, Arianna realised that she might end up being eliminated in the next few days. Miles, satisfied that Arianna had finally complied, folded his arms in thought.

"So, if we want a majority, the only person left who we can possibly recruit, apart from Sasha, is Griff." Miles concluded. However, just as she was about to give up, Arianna realised that she couldn't just sit back and let this happen because, if she did, in the future she may continue to act like that and have her choices made for her, which she definitely didn't want. Miles was also her only chance for making it through to the merge at the moment, and she couldn't let him slip through her fingers because of Griff. Looking up at Miles, she knew she had to fight him.

"N-no!" Arianna stammered quickly, causing Miles to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. Arianna ignored this look, however. "Remember what I said to you yesterday, about what Griff's really like! About him hating me just because I was elected as the leader of the Sky Tribe? He's probably still annoyed about that, and so he'll undoubtedly spread lie upon lie about me to you just to get me eliminated as a form of petty revenge! If he joined the alliance, he would definitely try to turn you against me with lies and manipulation. Miles, please don't add Griff to the alliance! I...I don't want to be on my own..."

Her facade of worry seemed to work on Miles, because, even though he was unsure if he believed her, he gave a sigh of retraction and chose to go along with it for now.

"But if we can't align with Scar, Jackie, Griff _or_ Rebekah, then it's literally going to be impossible for us to gain a majority because four out of five of the people in the tribe, not including us, are against us in some way. The way we're going, it's only going to be the two of us and Sasha against the clear majority." Miles said, feeling concerned about his current situation. "We need to find a way to remedy this soon, or else all of our impending work with Sasha is going to be for nothing."

Arianna, sick of having to constantly combat with Miles over everything, finally reached her limit and her head snapped up from the ground. Before she could stop herself, she was glaring furiously at Miles, angry, offensive words spewing out of her mouth in Miles' direction.

"It's all your fault anyway, so stop acting as if I'm the one who's supposed to fix everything! The reason for why we can't have a majority alliance isn't because of me; it's because of YOU! We can't form an alliance with Rebekah, Scar or Jackie because of YOU! Only one is because of me, so it's all your fault! Miles, to tell the truth, I'm starting to think that maybe them three aren't the bad people, but _you're_ the one who's been manipulating and lying to everyone and the reason for why you don't want them in this alliance is because you don't want them to tell me about what you're really like!" Arianna shouted violently, her indignant eyes burning through Miles' as she told him everything about what she thought of him. By the time she finished, she realised what she said and, noticing the look on Miles' face, knew she had to backpedal quickly if she wanted to save the alliance. "We...we should at least get...Sasha on our side before we continue to think about other options."

"...I'll try and persuade her." Miles said slowly with an even slower nod, before he slowly made his way out of the clearly he was standing in with Arianna, saying nothing more to her.

Arianna watched him leave nervously, knowing she went way too far with what she said and understanding that she probably destroyed any aspect of trust the two held together before they could even really gain any.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"It looks like Arianna isn't as clever as I thought she was after all. If she was intelligent, or cunning, then she would try a lot harder to keep her true personality hidden for longer than just a few hours. But, after just some small, innocent prodding, she completely unleashed her true self on me, and now I know exactly what she's really like. Somebody like that; somebody with no resistance or mental strength such as her...has no chance at winning this competition." Miles spoke, seemingly disappointed, folding his arms and shaking his head as he thought about what happened during his most recent conversation with his ally.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"Oh well done, congratulations Arianna, you idiot. Oh well, I suppose it doesn't really matter or make a difference. I mean, it's not like Miles can just decide not to be in an alliance with me anymore just because of my little outburst. I mean, I'm all he has right now, and I know he's intelligent enough to understand that. Still though, I realised that he started acting really strange towards me after I snapped at him...I really hope I haven't ruined my chances at this alliance working, because if I have...I could be heading home soon, and I think Miles has also realised that." Arianna muttered in concern, extremely angry and irritated with herself and her recent actions.**

 **...**

Sasha sat by herself on the sand, staring out at the ocean, feeling exhausted, emotionless and empty. As she stared at the water, motionless, her eyes trained on the sea, she noticed the occasional ripple disturb the ocean as fish swam past close to the surface. As she stared, feeling a hole in her heart, she heard the tweeting and crying of birds coming from above. However, she didn't feel that she even had the energy to turn to head to look up at them anymore. Usually, she would feel happy and relaxed being in this position, looking at the sea and hearing the sounds of nature, but ever since Rebekah's betrayal came into fruition Sasha's felt nothing but sadness, loneliness and multiple insecurities.

As she stared, not feeling strong enough mentally to move, her tired mind trailed to Ingrid, and a pang of sadness hit her as she thought about how she used to sit on the beach with Ingrid every morning and every evening, watching the sun rise and set while discussing how they slept or how their day generally went. She felt her eyes begin to get teary as she realised that she only ever felt happy when she was alone with Ingrid, and now she would never spend time with her again. She felt even sadder as she thought about all the arguments and fights she had with Ingrid in the days before she was eliminated, when she should have been making the most of the time she had with her.

Now, Ingrid was gone, completely gone from her life, and she would likely never talk to her again. With a choking sob, Sasha realised that after Ingrid was eliminated, she thought that at the very least, she still had Rebekah, but then she revealed that she had manipulated her and lied to her. She had been lied to by the only person left she thought of as a friend, and now she was completely alone.

Unable to keep her emotions contained anymore, Sasha allowed a single tear to roll slowly and softly down her cheeks as she finally released the emotions she had been holding in ever since Ingrid was eliminated the day before. All of a sudden, Sasha's sadness shifted to an immense rage and she angrily threw a punch at the sand, sending it spraying up into the air and landing in the water, soon disintegrating into nothing. As she watched it fade, Sasha completely broke down, weeping in utter distress, slowly moving into the fetal position and crying into her stomach.

As she cried, the gentle waves of the ocean softly drifted against the beach, acting as if nothing had happened. The fish continued to swim in the sea, and the birds still flew high above in the air.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I'm so, so, so sorry, Ingrid! Please forgive me! I just...I-I just can't handle the thought of never seeing you again...and...and e-every time I think about it...oh my gosh...every time I think about it I-I just can't help breaking down completely and bursting into tears! I'm s-so weak...I took our time for granted, Ingrid, and now...now...you're gone! You're gone, I can't do anything about it, and I've never felt worse in my entire life..." Sasha mumbled, her eyes red raw from tears, her sadness streaking her cheeks. She softly rubbed her arm up and down as she stared at the ground, tears pricking her eyes once again. "I...I want to say that...I'll win this f-for you...but...ever since Rebekah told me that she...lied to me...manipulated me...I-I've lost all hope. I...I don't think I c-can...I don't think I can win this for you, Ingrid...and...and for that, I'll always be...sorry."**

 **...**

As Sasha bawled by the ocean, not caring if she got sand or water on her, Miles slowly emerged from the trees, coming directly from the conversation he recently had with Arianna about their alliance. He looked around carefully and cautiously for Sasha to make sure she wasn't talking to anyone else at the moment. He saw nobody at all who was in his tribe, except for Griff and Rebekah who were having a discussion by the crackling campfire.

Suddenly spotting a figure by the ocean and realising it was Sasha, Miles decided to quickly grasp at the opportunity. He began walking over to Sasha, but just when he was a few centimetres away he stopped himself, realising she was clearly upset. Instead of feeling sympathetic for her, Miles instead thought that he could use her current weakness to his advantage, knowing that if she was at her weakest Sasha would almost certainly agree to join the alliance without any persuasion whatsoever, just so she knew she had some guaranteed safety. Miles smirked slightly to himself, before taking a step closer.

"Excuse me, I'm not trying to intrude, but I just wanted to know if you're okay?" Miles asked Sasha, giving his voice a concerned tone.

Sasha jumped at the current voice, turning her head to look at Miles, but she knew that if she tried to talk her voice would just crack or give way and she'd end up embarrassing herself further. As she looked at Miles, a memory popped into her head; she remembered yesterday, when she and Rebekah were still friends, and she gave her a warning, telling her never to talk to Miles because, apparently, he was a huge manipulator and an incredibly good liar. At first, Sasha felt uncomfortable being alone with him, but then she remembered that Rebekah herself lied to her and manipulated her, and thus she was just as bad as Miles, if what she said was even true in the first place.

So, Sasha decided to ignore both Rebekah's advice and her gut feeling and interact with Miles. In response to his question, she gave her head a small shake, still not trusting her voice enough to speak due to the sad, upset state she was currently in. Miles gave her another concerned expression, despite him not really feeling bad for this timid, clearly distressed girl.

"What's wrong? Can I do anything to help?" Miles asked slowly and softly. Sasha looked up at him in silence for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and deciding to speak with him.

"No...you can't. I don't deserve sympathy...everything that's happened to me is all my fault...I deserve to feel upset. I deserve it..." Sasha mumbled quietly, tears forming in her eyes once again. Knowing that if she continued to talk she would undoubtedly begin to crack, she quickly wiped her eyes and turned away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I understand. We all have a right to privacy." Miles said kindly. After a few more seconds of silence, in which Sasha slowly turned back to the ocean, Miles decided to briskly continue the conversation before he lost the opportunity. "My name's Miles. What about you? What's your name?"

"I'm...Sasha." The timid girl introduced herself, shaking Miles' outstretched hand. While she did, however, she realised with a start that she was shaking a prosthetic arm. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she decided not to mention it because she didn't want to be rude or make the atmosphere awkward or uncomfortable. Miles, noticing her expression, decided to elaborate.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you another time." Miles said vaguely, and Sasha, feeling embarrassed, gave a small nod. She didn't say anything else, feeling incredibly anxious and shy in front of this new person as she always felt whenever she met anybody new. Once again, she slowly turned back around and looked at the ocean, noticing a small fish leaping out of the water before gracefully landing back in. Not even close to giving up on her yet, Miles realised that he would have to control the conversation and he sat down on the sand next to her.

"Do you like watching the clouds drift by more, or watching the ocean's waves drift in and out?" Miles asked, deciding to question her on a topic she would likely enjoy. Sasha looked at him and shyly smiled.

"...I prefer the ocean. I love seeing all the pretty colours on all the fish...w-what about you? What do you prefer?" Sasha answered timidly, as if she were nervous that her reply would anger Miles for some reason.

"The fish are beautiful, I have to agree with you there, but to be honest I prefer watching the sky. I love it when I see a bird swooping through the air, enjoying its life, with nothing to worry about, just...free, I suppose. I wish I could be like them sometimes and just fly away from my life." Miles replied solemnly, but a smile was on his face throughout, and he suddenly realised that he wasn't sure if he was saying this just to get closer to Sasha so he could ask her to join his alliance or if he really meant the words he was speaking.

"Nature really is beautiful." Sasha said, looking at Miles as she started speaking but then quickly looking down at the ground as she felt slightly embarrassed. Miles nodded in agreement. "So...do you have any friends on this tribe? Who came with you?"

"No. Unfortunately, I arrived alone. Well, there are people from my old tribe who're on this tribe with me, but everyone I was friends with is on the other tribe. I don't know what the chances of that were, but every time I think about me being separated from my friends it fills me with so much worry and sadness...I just hope they're okay." Miles lied, hoping that by saying he arrived on the tribe alone his situation would seem more similar to Sasha's. "Sorry, I'm talking too much about myself. What about you?"

"..." Sasha blushed from sadness, unsure how to start off her response. "I...I thought I had a friend. But it turns out I was wrong...dead wrong."

With her short reply over, Sasha slowly lifted up her head from the ground and looked past Miles to the campfire, where Griff still sat with Rebekah. The two seemed to be involved in an enjoyable conversation, as every few seconds the two of them would laugh or smile. Miles carefully followed her eyesight and realised that she was looking at the campfire.

"Are you talking about Griff or Rebekah?" Miles asked slowly. Feeling her body shudder from irritation at hearing her name, Sasha quickly looked back at the ocean to try and calm herself down before uttering the latter's name. "Sasha, I can understand that you don't want to talk about it, but I just wanted to say...I'm not surprised that you're angry with Rebekah."

Sasha, perplexed, slowly looked at Miles, waiting for him to elaborate and tell her more. Miles looked out to the sea for a moment, thinking up a lie to tell her, before looking back at Sasha and staring directly into her eyes to make him appear more trustworthy than he was really about to act.

"Rebekah...is a deceitful, traitorous, devious, cunning, manipulative person, and she has no concern for other people's well-being whatsoever. Back when I was on the Sea Tribe, she almost had me eliminated, but luckily we were split up before it could happen."

"...I wish you were sent to my tribe instead of Rebekah when your tribe was dissolved, Miles. I wish...I wish I never met Rebekah." Sasha muttered coldly, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the ocean. Then, her anger diminished and was replaced by her usual timid personality as she softly looked up at Miles. "You're...really easy to t-talk to, Miles, and thanks to you...I don't feel as alone as I first did anymore. T...thank you for that."

"It's no problem at all, Sasha. I'm happy to help." Miles lied, continuing to manipulate Sasha by using his fabricated kindness to his advantage. While Sasha talked to Miles, she was truly opening up her heart to him and telling him her true emotions and honest stories about what happened to her, while Miles was telling lie after lie convincingly, tricking the emotional girl into trusting him. "I think you're easy to talk to as well."

Sasha smiled at this, feeling slightly better about herself. Deciding now was a better time than ever to enact his plan, Miles looked carefully at Sasha.

"Sasha, I'm going to tell you something. I'm thinking about starting up an alliance." Miles said, as if he felt nervous about telling her. Of course, in reality, this was simply fake and he was only acting nervous to make Sasha feel bad for him, thus making her feel more inclined to join the alliance. "Since I'm on my own, I need to make sure that I can assure my safety, and I think you would an amazing, brilliant, helpful asset as you're really friendly and kind and I feel that we could make it last a long time. But only if you want to join, of course. So...what do you think?"

"..." Sasha thought this over, and for just a second Rebekah's warning filtered its way back into her mind before she quickly pushed it back down into the furthest recesses of her memory and decided that Rebekah had lied, and that Miles was truly a nice person who only wanted the best for people. So, she gave Miles a vigorous, joyful nod. "I'll definitely join! Thank you so much for the offer!"

"Thank you, Sasha. I'm sure it'll work out." Miles said reassuringly, and Sasha nodded happily. "So, maybe we sh-"

However, Miles was suddenly interrupted by a surprisingly loud voice that cut him off and caused them both to turn their heads in the direction of the campfire to see Rebekah walking briskly towards the two of them, a worried albeit angry expression on her face. As Sasha's face darkened in anger and her fists clenched in pure loathing at seeing her, Miles remained completely calm, knowing that Rebekah would no doubt try to persuade Sasha not to be in an alliance with Miles, and he would have to be more persuasive than ever to trick Sasha into siding with him over her.

Rebekah reached the two of them and furiously jabbed Miles in the chest.

"How dare you try to trick Sasha?! Get away from her!" Rebekah growled in irritation, folding her arms and shooting sharp daggers at Miles, who returned them with a cool, blank stare. "Don't you dare...don't you _dare_ try to manipulate her! Sasha's one of the kindest, sweetest, friendliest people in this entire competition and I hate to see her about to be controlled by one of the most evil, deceitful, cunning ones."

For just a second, Sasha's eyes widened, surprised at the sudden compliments despite her past betrayal. However, soon after Sasha remembered what Rebekah did to her and her eyes narrowed in resentment, soon scrambling to her feet from her spot on the beach and standing in front of Miles as if she was protecting him.

"You really do have some nerve, Sasha. You're telling Miles not to manipulate me, when you were doing it for days on end before you finally had the decency to confess to it!" Sasha scowled angrily, and Rebekah looked at her, slightly surprised at how furious she was acting towards her. Miles, deciding to speak up instead of staying completely silent stood next to Sasha.

"I have no idea what you mean, Rebekah. Why are you calling me deceitful and cunning? I've never displayed any of those traits to you, and I really am not like that. I don't know why you'd make up those lies for no reason, especially considering I was one of the nicest people to you back when we were on the Sea Tribe." Miles spoke calmly, lying through his teeth. As Rebekah listened to his fabrications she grew angrier and angrier until her body was shaking from pure fury. Despite this, Miles wasn't affected. "Sasha and I were simply having a relaxing conversation about the ocean and what our favourite parts of nature are."

"Oh, shut up Miles. I still haven't forgiven you for what you did to me back on the Sea Tribe, and I'm never going to forgive you. I won't stop hating you until you're eliminated, and even _then_ I'm never going to feel even the slightest shred of appreciation towards you." Rebekah snapped, rolling her eyes and glaring at Miles, sick of his constant lies and realising that he hadn't changed in the slightest since his time on the Sea Tribe which made her even angrier because she realised that during that time he had likely manipulated many more people.

Sasha, hearing Rebekah say this, slowly looked up at Miles, confusion in her eyes and uncertainty crossing her face. Miles knew he had to be clever here, or he could potentially lose Sasha and thus cause him to be in the even greater minority. He gave a long sigh, as if he was disappointed.

"Sasha, this is what Rebekah's like. She constantly tries to lie about and manipulate absolutely everything!" Miles exclaimed, showing fake frustration at how 'deceitful' Rebekah was, even though that wasn't truly the case. Sasha, mistakenly believing everything he said, gave Miles a firm, supportive nod and turned back to Rebekah, not trusting what she said in the slightest.

To this utter lie, Rebekah gasped loudly, her face darkening in pure rage. As he watched her getting more and more furious, Miles smirked slightly, knowing that if Rebekah continued to get angrier then it would simply nudge Sasha closer to him.

"I didn't manipulate anything! I haven't done anything! _You're_ the manipulator and the liar, and that's what you're doing right now! You're pure evil!" Rebekah shouted, pointing at Miles while she talked. She quickly turned to Sasha, her anger fading for a second, being replaced with worry. "Sasha, you can't trust Miles. If you do, you're going to regret it in a few days when you see what he's really like. Please, please trust me Sasha...I don't want to see you hurt!"

"You don't want to see me hurt?" Sasha scoffed in bewilderment, and Rebekah realised that she had lost her completely and she had almost no hope of persuading her. Sasha backed away from Rebekah and shook her head angrily. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you used me! How can I possibly trust you, Rebekah? Only yesterday you admitted that you manipulated me and lied to my face! People never change, and I bet you're trying to do it again now just because I've found a new friend!"

"I...I promise I'm not lying, Sasha. I promise I'll never lie to you again!" Rebekah cried, hurt, beginning to get emotional. She felt tears welling up in her eyes but she ignored them, knowing that she needed to save Sasha from Miles' clutches before it was too late. "I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you. You have to believe me; Miles doesn't care about anyone but himself and he's willing to lie to anyone and everyone if it simply means he gets to keep his place in this competition!"

Noticing how upset and distraught Rebekah was getting, Sasha began to feel uncomfortable, realising that second thoughts were slowly forming in her head. Slowly, she looked up at Miles, who was still staring at Rebekah. Was it really right of her to trust someone who she had just met? And what Rebekah was saying...she really seemed like she was telling the truth this time. Maybe Rebekah was right...and she shouldn't trust Miles? Sasha glanced frequently between Rebekah and Miles, confusion and indecisiveness swirling around her mind as she desperately tried to think of what to do.

"Rebekah, you really are an awful liar." Miles said, rolling his eyes as if he was bored with this argument. "All your sins are going to catch up on you one day, I hope you realise that. Sasha,-"

He turned his gaze from Rebekah to Sasha, looking her directly in the eye.

"-Rebekah is nothing but a manipulator and you absolutely cannot trust her. Just think about what she did to you only a couple of days ago when you were on the Sand Tribe! That girl doesn't have a speck of loyalty inside her cold body." Miles said calmly, and Sasha listened to what he said carefully. Upon being reminded about what Rebekah did, Sasha was suddenly filled with an intense rage and she nodded to Miles.

"You're right." Sasha said, causing Rebekah's heart to crack as she realised that she had definitely lost Sasha's friendship and trust, and now she would likely be eliminated in the near future when Miles eventually didn't need her anymore. Sasha turned to Rebekah. "I can't trust you ever again Rebekah, and that's your own fault."

With that, Sasha turned around and started walking away in the direction of the woods, no longer wanting to speak to her traitorous, deceitful ex-friend. Miles, after looking at Rebekah with no emotion on his face for a few seconds, also turned and joined Sasha and departing for the woods. Soon, Rebekah was left on her own, breathing heavily from the exhilaration of the argument and also from the sadness that filled her. As she watched Sasha walk away, she understood that the poor girl had been completely manipulated by Miles, and she had no idea that she had been.

"You're going to regret it, Sasha! Don't trust Miles!" Rebekah gave one last attempt, her voice cracking from sadness, her body shaking. However, Sasha ignored her and entered the darkness of the forest, followed by Miles.

Suddenly filled with anger, Rebekah furiously screamed and kicked the sand in front of her which glided up into the air before landing with a splash in the ocean, landing in the exact same spot where the sand Sasha punched earlier fell.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I can't trust Rebekah...I just can't. I mean, after all she's done to me, how can I possibly? But, I've been thinking about it really hard...and...do I really, really believe Miles? Or...am I simply choosing him over Rebekah just because she lied to me before, and I just don't think I should believe her? Do I believe Rebekah? Oh, I don't know...but why would Miles lie to me? There's no reasonable explanation for why...I...I mean, it's not like it could affect his strategy or anything...I think. It wouldn't make any sense...so he has to be telling the truth...he has to be..." Sasha mumbled to the camera slowly and quietly, getting increasingly tired of all the drama and wishing that everybody in the competition could just work together and be friends. However, as she thought about this, she supposed that her ideal world in this competition wasn't possible in game that had twenty people where only one of them would win and take the crown. Despite this, she still wished that there weren't any arguments, or scheming, or plotting, or lying, and instead everyone was just honest and true.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"Why can't I ever beat Miles?! This is the second time now that he's trumped me, and it's so annoying because after the first time he manipulated me, I promised myself that, if I was ever in a tribe with him again, I would never let him hurt me or my friends again. But it happened right away, on the second day of me being in this stupid tribe with him! At the start of the game I was truly manipulated, through and through, by him and his little pet Brooke, and now that I finally, _finally_ had the opportunity to beat him and finally get revenge on him for Olivia, he uses his stupidly brilliant manipulation and lying skills to get Sasha on his side! He made my life a complete and utter misery while I was on the Sea Tribe, and...I'm _not_ going to let him do it to me all over again. I'm especially not going to let him control and use Sasha until he inevitably gets sick of her and disposes of her! Even if she does hate me right now, I still care about her so much and I don't want to see her heart broken for the third time. It would completely tear me up...so I'm going to do something, and finally get rid of Miles...and send him home, where he should've been a long, long time ago instead of Olivia." Rebekah ranted furiously, her face darkening in anger every second, her fists clenched in pure rage as her body shook from both sadness and fury as she thought about Miles' mischievous actions.**

 **...**

After her intense, tension-filled fight with Sasha and Miles, resulting in both of them disappearing into the forest, Rebekah decided to go back to Griff who was waiting for her by the campfire. As she walked, trying to forget about the entire situation, Rebekah couldn't help remembering what Sasha said to her and she began to get emotional, knowing Sasha was being controlled and that it deeply pained her to see such an awful thing happening to someone who used to be her friend. No, she still thought of Sasha as a friend, even if the feeling wasn't mutual.

The feeling of sadness was intensified for Rebekah, however, because she realised that she basically threw Sasha into Miles' arms. Rebekah knew that if she never manipulated Sasha in the first place, the two of them would still be friends and everything would be fine. As she wiped a solitary tear from her eye, Rebekah childishly began to wish that she never told Sasha the truth in the first place, and that she just kept reality hidden from her because at the very least that way the two of them would still be friends.

With the thought of Sasha, the most innocent, timid contestant in the entire competition being aligned to Miles, the most treacherous and manipulative contestant still fresh and common in her mind, Rebekah reached the campfire. Not paying attention, Rebekah briskly sat down, accidentally causing her to kick sand into the air and resulting in it landing on the campfire, extinguishing it instantly. At this, Griff groaned in distress and slight irritation.

"That took me almost an hour to light! I just got it done!" Griff complained with a sigh, and he was about to keep moaning about it when he suddenly noticed that Rebekah was clearly upset about something as she was staring at the embers with her head in her hands, not listening to what he was saying. He also noticed tears in her eyes, and he suddenly felt guilty. He awkwardly put his hand on her shoulder, in an attempt to comfort her. "The fire doesn't matter, Rebekah. I wasn't really annoyed about it. I can just make another one...even if the competition is over by the time I do."

Griff laughed, hoping that Rebekah would join in, but she didn't react in the slightest, completely ignoring him and continuing to stare at the remains of the originally flourishing fire and sniffle. Griff stared at her, and he was about to ask her what the matter was when Rebekah suddenly wiped her eyes and turned to Griff.

"I...I wasn't crying about the fire. It's about...something else." Rebekah said, adding the last part in quickly, unsure if she trusted Griff enough to tell him about what happened between her and Sasha. Feeling guilty about the fire, she looked at him and smiled slightly. "I'll make the fire for you, if you want. I'm better at it than you anyway."

"It's fine, it's a hot day anyway." Griff said, grinning, before his expression turned back to that of concern. "But we shouldn't be focusing on the fire, that doesn't matter. Are you okay? Are you upset about your conversation with Sasha and Miles? I could hear the three of you shouting, even though I was way back here."

"It's...all my fault." Rebekah whispered quietly, almost inaudible, as she looked back at the diminished fire, wrapping her arms around her body to comfort herself.

"What's your fault?" Griff asked.

"...Remember yesterday, when I told you that I had an argument with a friend? Well, that friend was Sasha." Rebekah explained slowly, and Griff nodded in understanding. "Back in my old tribe, the Sand Tribe, I...lied about something to Sasha. She didn't know about it for a while but...I told her yesterday, because I felt really guilty about it. Ever since Sasha has completely hated my guts and everything about me. Just now, I went over to her to try and warn her about Miles, and stop her from aligning with him, but I just seemed to make the situation even worse! Now Sasha's in an alliance with the most dangerous, untrustworthy contestant in the entire competition, and...it's all my fault! After that, I've just felt completely alone...and...I'm starting to wonder if this is how Sasha felt before she made an alliance with Miles..."

"...Rebekah, you can't blame yourself for this. If you do, it won't stop eating you up and you could end up losing focus on your own game." Griff said logically and solemnly, and Rebekah looked at him, listening. "What you did was definitely a bad thing, and I'm in no way saying that you shouldn't feel guilty for what you did, because you should. But if you've apologised, over and over again, and Sasha still hasn't forgiven you, then she's the one being petty and you shouldn't feel like it's still your fault. If you did the same thing to her again, then I'd understand the anger, but you made a simple mistake and you apologised for it. If Sasha still hates you, then there's no reason for you to feel guilty. You've done everything you can."

"Thank you so much, Griff. I really do appreciate you helping me." Rebekah said, feeling tears begin to form in her eyes again, but then she slowly looked back down at the ground. "But it isn't making me feel any better about my situation. I'm still on my own on this stupid, awful tribe, and I probably will be until Miles manipulates everyone into voting me out. I may as well just give up now..."

"Rebekah, I would never, ever let myself be manipulated into voting for you. You're the only person on this tribe who I feel relatively close to, and I really do think of you as a friend." Griff promised confidently, with no aspect of distrust or fabrication in his voice. "You made a mistake, and you need to let it go soon or else it'll ruin your game and you'll end up eliminated. You've been through too much for that to happen to you, Rebekah, and I'd hate to see you eliminated just because you were focusing too much on somebody else instead of yourself."

Rebekah, after paying close attention to what Griff said, gingerly wiped her eyes with her hands and shifted her gaze from the ground to him. After looking at him for a few seconds, a small smile etched itself onto her face and she gave Griff a small, grateful nod.

"I'll always be here for you, Rebekah, and I hope you never forget that." Griff said, and as Rebekah continued to look at him, fully trusting him, an idea fell into place in Griff's mind. "So...I was wondering, would you like to join an alliance with me?"

Rebekah was shocked and unsure, not expecting him to ask that question.

"Griff, I'd love to, b-but what if Sasha gets angry at me and thinks I'm...betraying her by aligning with you, or something?" Rebekah said worriedly, gently grabbing her arm with her hand, looking back at the sand. Griff softly put his hand on her shoulder.

"If Sasha gets angry at you, then that's absolutely ridiculous. What does she expect you to do, constantly suck up to her and apologise over and over again while she rejects you every single time? No, you have to focus on yourself right now, Rebekah, or you might get left behind." Griff warned her, and Rebekah realised with a start that he was right and she couldn't keep continuously thinking about Sasha or else she would lose track on her own path.

"You're right. Okay then...I accept. I'll join your alliance." Rebekah confirmed with a nod, and the two broke out into a relieved, joyful smile.

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"Okay, I have my first ally of my new tribe! Brilliant! Not only that, but I'm aligned with one of the friendliest people on the entire tribe, so I don't think I need to worry about her ending up like Arianna or Adam. But with all of these alliances starting up out of nowhere, Rebekah and I have to be fast and get Jackie and Scar on our side and gain a majority before Miles and Sasha get to them first and the former manipulates them into seeing his ideals. Of course, Arianna is also an option, but there's no way, absolutely _no way_ that I would ever work with Arianna in an alliance again, even if it meant the difference between me staying in the game or being eliminated. I wouldn't work with her in a million years." Griff muttered with an uncomfortable shudder as he thought about being in an alliance with one of the most obnoxious contestants in the entire competition. However, after thinking about that, a happy smile rose to his lips. "But I'm just glad that I'm with Rebekah; she's a true friend, and I'm happy that we have each other during our time on this tribe."**

 **...**

Scar sat on his tree in the middle of the clearing he always sat in, completely unaware of all the drama that was taking place in other areas of the Attackers' camp. He was watching the sky in complete silence, watching the clouds slowly drift by over the hours and noticing the occasional bird swooping by, sometimes with another by its side. As he stared at the life flying around in the skies, Scar finally felt at peace for the first time since he first stepped onto the island, happy to be alone and isolated rather than surrounded by people and wrapped up and involved in drama and constant arguments.

However, just as he began to feel his eyelids growing heavy and drowsiness take over his mind, he suddenly heard the crunching of leaves coming from below which instantly alerted him again. He sat up slowly, as to not make a sound, and gingerly looked down from the thick branch he always sat on. As he watched in absolute silence, he noticed Arianna entering the clearing, alone, likely going for a walk.

Scar, having not met her before so he had no idea what her personality was like, decided to continue to observe her in silence to try and gain a better grasp of what she was like. Having to crane his neck to see her, Scar slowly adjusted his body to be more comfortable. However, as he moved, his hand accidentally smacked a branch that was growing out of the tree next to him, causing it to snap off and fall to the ground within seconds, landing only about a foot in front of Arianna.

Confused, Arianna stopped walking and slowly glanced up, expecting to see a squirrel or a woodpecker, but when her eyes landed on Scar, who was staring directly at her, she couldn't help screaming hysterically, leaping backwards and almost falling to the ground. When she finally began to calm down, she realised that the culprit of the falling twig was Scar and she growled in anger at having been made a fool of.

"What's your problem?! You almost scared me to death!" Arianna raged angrily, pointing an accusing finger at Scar, her face heating red from embarrassment.

She waited for Scar to respond, but he simply stared at her motionlessly, observing her with his mysterious, unnerving eyes. After a few seconds, Arianna began to feel uncomfortable as she realised that Scar wasn't going to respond, so she decided to press him further.

"You're a creep! You're a weird, freaky creep!" Arianna shouted obnoxiously and childishly up at Scar, close to throwing a tantrum. However, he wasn't affected by her insults, and continued to watch her. Arianna, growing more and more infuriated, rolled her eyes. "I have no idea how you managed to make it so far in this competition if all you do is hide up in trees and frighten people! I hope you fall off and break your neck, weirdo."

Once again, Scar didn't reply. Being blanked three times in a row was too much for Arianna to handle, so she furiously gave Scar's tree a kick as if she was expecting it to topple over. Her face was now pure black like a thunder cloud and she stared up at Scar, her fiery eyes burning through his skull.

"Oh, if you were on the ground you would be feeling a _world of pain_! Watch out for those birds; if you're not careful they might peck your eyes out and you'll end up bleeding to death on your stupid tree! On second thoughts, I wish I didn't warn you about them; I'd love to see that happen to you!" Arianna growled, before laughing mockingly. Then, she took a deep breath, blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes and back around her ear. "No wonder Miles didn't want you in our alliance. If I knew you were like this, I never would've asked in the first place if you were a good ally, because clearly you're not!"

What Arianna said about Miles peaked Scar's attention, however, and he slowly looked down at her, his eyes creasing slightly in curiosity.

"You're in an alliance with Miles?" He asked quietly and calmly, and the icy peacefulness of his voice made Arianna's body shudder with worry and slight fear, causing her to feel slightly unnerved as she was standing in the forest alone with him. However, she refused to show that she was feeling frightened.

"Yes." Arianna replied bluntly, rolling her eyes and folding her arms in irritation, looking away, despite the fact that she was slightly relieved that he was finally talking to her. "Not that it's any of your business."

"How long have you been in an alliance with Miles?" Scar asked, ignoring Arianna's petty argument starters and instead focusing on the main part of the conversation, cutting straight to the chase like he always did.

"Not long..." Arianna replied, before she suddenly realised something and she looked up at Scar in frustration. "You know, you're really starting to freak me out! How come you get to ask all the questions but you don't answer any yourself? This is pretty unfair if you ask me!"

"I didn't ask you." Scar said, shooting Arianna down, causing her to awkwardly look down at the ground, realising that she had been embarrassed by the creepiest person in the competition and she was just glad that nobody was around to witness that. However, Scar didn't seem proud of himself for that remark, and he continued asking Arianna questions. "Have you noticed anything irregular about Miles? Anything that makes him seem untrustworthy or dangerous?"

"Ugh, he seemed like a perfectly normal male teenager, okay?! Unlike you!" Arianna growled, beginning to get seriously tired of this irritating one-sided conversation, wishing that it could just be over and she could leave the clearing and go back to the normal people in the tribe. "Can I just ask you where you're going with this, please? I'm tired, I'm cranky, and this relaxing walk I'm on doesn't seem to be so calming after all! I just want to lea-"

"Miles cannot be trusted. If you're in an alliance with him, you need to get out of it as soon as possible." Scar interrupted her quickly, knowing he had to warn Arianna about the fact that being in an alliance with Miles meant nothing but trouble for her and everyone else involved in it. Arianna fell quiet, listening, invested in what Scar was saying because only a few hours ago she had felt slightly suspicious of Miles herself. "Miles is deceitful, treacherous, manipulative, a huge liar, and he would literally throw anybody under the bus, even his own allies, if it meant his own safety. He's by far the most untrustworthy person I've met so far in the game, and that's saying something because there's many devious pythons lurking in the grass of this island."

"...I...I...why are you telling me this? I was so rude to you just now, so why would you want to warn me? I wouldn't do it for you if our positions were switched." Arianna revealed truthfully, looking at Scar in confusion, unsure if he was telling her the truth, despite her own suspicions about Miles.

"...I don't want Miles to manipulate anybody else...even if they do deserve it." Scar said calmly, staring directly into Arianna's eyes to make it more believable that he was telling the truth, which he was. However, the last part annoyed Arianna, and thus any part of her that believed Scar instantly vanished and was replaced with hate and irritation.

"You know what? I don't need this antagonising right now, okay? Goodbye." Arianna muttered, clear attitude in her voice, before she proceeded to swiftly spin on her heels and depart the clearing Scar was sitting in while he watched her leave.

However, as she walked away, an uncertain look crossed Arianna's face as she felt an uncomfortable feeling growing in her stomach, and she noted with an uncomfortable realisation that she did believe Scar, and that she agreed with him in the way that she thought Miles wasn't as nice and friendly as he was letting on, and she should definitely keep an eye on him, at least for now.

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"Maybe that crazy, creepy guy was right...maybe Miles is manipulative...and deceitful...and a liar...and maybe he would throw anybody under the bus if it meant his own safety. Maybe...he was manipulating me and I knew nothing about it...? Well, after that uncomfortable conversation, all I know is that I have to keep a close eye on Miles from now on, because if Scar is right, and Miles would throw any ally under the bus, then he might be planning to do it to me when the time is right for him. But I'm the one who's supposed to be doing that! I'm the mastermind of this competition, not one of Miles' puppets! He thinks he can control me?! I'd like to see the look on his face when I inevitably outsmart him! Ugh, I want nothing more than to walk up to him and give him a good smack, but if I do that...then I might end up on my own, without any allies. So, unfortunately, all I can do right now is stick with him for the time being. Ugh, I can't think of anything worse..." Arianna groaned in disinterest, putting her head in her hands and letting out a sigh of complete exasperation, wishing that the competition was easier than it was.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Charles Hellman**

 **"Did Arianna deserve not to be warned? Of course she did. But I'm not that type of person, not at all. I don't change my actions based on whether that person is nice to me or not. I don't change my actions based on whether that person is a self-centred, egotistical, spoilt, two-faced, arrogant, obnoxious brat, like Arianna certainly is. Every human is the same when it comes down to it; in my eyes that's the case, anyway. Small personality tweaks among people mean absolutely nothing to me. All I know is that I want Miles eliminated, and I want every single one of his allies and everybody in this competition to know what he's really like; I won't stop until he's eliminated from this game and out of here for good." Scar said with no emotion, albeit with confidence, staring at the camera with his eyes fixated directly on the lens, his body not moving a single inch while he spoke, giving himself an unnervingly creepy atmosphere.**

 **...**

 **The Defenders _(Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Adam, Brooke and Gabby)_**

Connor watched Brooke from the trees, shrouded in the darkness that the trees cast by blocking the sun. He felt a nervous feeling in his stomach, knowing that if he messed up this conversation with her then he could potentially be dooming both him and Oswald to an elimination sometime in the nearby future, which he definitely wanted to avoid at any cost. The two of them had both worked incredibly hard to get where they were, and Connor didn't want to ruin it for both of them by failing to persuade Brooke to join them in an alliance.

Beforehand, early on in the morning while they were starting and then tending the fire, just the two of them, Oswald had informed Connor that they would be enacting their plan on Adam and Brooke instead of Gabby, Zane and Kevin as he didn't trust the latter three, mostly because of Gabby's boisterous, obnoxious, rude personality that he had inferred from her. So, Oswald told Connor that when he found Brooke on her own, with nobody else around, he would need to try and persuade her to join their alliance. When it came to Adam, Oswald said that he would deal with him whenever he was free.

As Connor watched Brooke in silence, trying to ignore the growing feeling of worry in the pit of his stomach, he remembered Oswald telling him that he had to be the most persuasive, clever and tactical he's ever been in the game so far so he could get Brooke to choose the smaller alliance over the larger, majority-securing one. Also, Oswald informed Connor that if he failed to get her on their side, then she would likely feel more pressure to join Gabby, Zane and Kevin as she would no longer find Oswald and Connor as a potential option.

Connor knew that if he failed here, even if Oswald managed to recruit Adam, it would all be for nothing as they would still have a minority. With the intensity of the situation pressing down upon him, Connor took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly stepped out of the darkness, quietly walking towards Brooke who continued to sit on her own on the beach, looking at the waves gently crashing into the sand of the beach. Once he reached her, he stood behind her for a few moments to collect himself, before he started to feel weird, knowing he would have to speak up sooner or later.

"Uh, hey!" Connor called awkwardly, a lot louder than he intended. Because of the volume in his voice, he accidentally startled Brooke, causing her to yelp and almost fall into the ocean. Luckily, she regained her balance and turned around, her face glowing red in embarrassment.

At that very moment, neither of them thought they had made a very good first impression on the other.

"Sorry." Connor mumbled uncomfortably.

"It's okay, don't worry about it." Brooke reassured him with a small giggle. Both of them smiled at each other, before falling silent. After a few seconds, both began feeling awkward, realising they had to say something or the other would start thinking they were weird.

"So how are-" Connor began.

"What's your-" Brooke also began, but both stopped talking when they realised the other started talking at the same time and laughed. However, as he laughed, Connor understood that if he kept this up Brooke would want nothing to do with him, and he knew that he would have to fix the conversation and fast before it was too late and he lost the opportunity.

"Sorry, again. You go first." Connor offered with a polite, kind smile.

"Thank you. So...you're Connor, right?" Brooke suggested, and in response Connor gave her a nod and a smile. Brooke smiled in return, realising she was beginning to take a liking to this seemingly innocent, friendly boy. "I'm Brooke. It's nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too." Connor replied, holding out his hand. Brooke grabbed it and shook it firmly, and after they separated the two of them stared at each other in silence for a few moments. However, soon they both felt slightly awkward and glanced away from each other, Connor looking at the ground while Brooke glanced in the ocean's direction.

"It's been a crazy night. It's insane to think that just a few hours ago I was in an awful tribe of only four people, and now all of a sudden I'm in a brand new tribe with five people who I've never talked to before and the only person I have talked to absolutely hates me! The feeling's mutual, by the way." Brooke said to Connor, before throwing her arms behind her head and sighing. "This competition moves along so fast, and if you're not on the ball at all times you could end up being left behind and eliminated in only a second."

"It's crazy." Connor agreed with a nod, wondering how to bring up the topic of alliances so he could ask Brooke if she was interested. "Why do you think your old tribe was awful?"

"Well, Adam, who's on this tribe with us, and another girl called Arianna, who's on the Attackers, had an alliance going on that was built entirely on manipulation, deceit and flat-out bullying and harassment, in my opinion. The two of them tricked me into joining them and eliminating the decent people on the tribe, while telling me that they were the liars and the manipulators. I had no clue that I was actually working with them the entire time. Eventually, I finally came to my senses and left the alliance, but not before I voted out two friendly people." Brooke admitted with a sad sigh, guilt rising to the top of her mind as she thought about Dale and Hudson, still feeling guilty for them. "After I left, it was just me and this other boy called Griff, who I made friends with after I left Arianna and Adam's alliance, against the two of them. After my experience with them, I would never, ever align with either Arianna or Adam ever again, and especially not both of them together. In fact, I'm going to warn you to stay away from Adam; he's cruel, evil and a complete liar."

After Brooke's butchering of Adam, Connor felt a spark of worry in his heart as he began to rethink even bringing up the prospect of an alliance to Brooke as he was almost certain that, no matter how he tried to coax her or no matter what he said, she would shoot it down if it included Adam being part of it. However, he knew that he couldn't back down; he couldn't disappoint Oswald and ruin their chances of gaining a majority.

Brooke, noticing the uncomfortable look on Connor's face, began to feel concerned.

"Is anything wrong? If you're just worried about any friends you might have who're on the other tribe, then I'm in the exact same position as you. My friend Griff, who I just told you about, is on the Attackers and I'm really worried about him because he's stuck with Arianna and nobody else." Brooke murmured worriedly, glancing back at the ocean as she tried not to think about it. "I hope he's okay..."

"No, it isn't that. Just...hear me out a second." Connor spoke nervously, giving his head a quick shake in response to Brooke's question. At this, Brooke tilted her head to the side in slight confusion, but she was listening, so Connor continued. "Oswald, my ally, has thought up a plan for myself and him. He doesn't want us to align with Gabby, Zane and Kevin, because even though it would give us a huge majority, he doesn't trust any of them in the slightest and he also thinks that the alliance would e far too large for his liking. So...he wanted an alliance with you. But...Oswald also...wanted an alliance with...Adam, so then the four of us would have a majority with three scapegoats, thus reducing the chances of us having to turn on each other eventually."

Up until the last part, Brooke was listening carefully, nodding at certain parts, but as soon as Connor mentioned Adam being part of their potential alliance, her interest seemed to diminish completely and she glanced out at the ocean, unsure what to say. Connor slowly and awkwardly faded out until he was no longer speaking, knowing full well that if he persisted then she would likely be pushed even further away from wanting to be in an alliance with Adam, instead waiting for a response. After looking at the ocean for a few more seconds, she turned back to look at him.

"I completely understand your motives, I do. But...I'm really not sure if I can bring myself to go through the torture of being in an alliance with Adam again, especially because only yesterday I said to him that I never wanted to be his ally again. If I randomly changed my mind, it would make me seem indecisive and weak." Brooke pointed out logically, despite her tone being sad. "Why don't you just try and recruit either Gabby, Zane or Kevin? I'm sure at least one of them would agree."

"If we did try to recruit one of them, then they would almost definitely go and tell the other two members of their alliance. We just can't risk that, not until we definitely have a secured majority." Connor informed her, and she realised with dismay that he was right. "I know it must be really annoying, probably the most annoying thing ever to have to align with the person in the competition you hate the most, but I promise you that it'll work out in the end. Either way, you're better off with Oswald and I than Gabby, Kevin and Zane who seem to me to be carbon copies of what you described Arianna and Adam as."

Her mouth widening slightly in shock, Brooke realised that Connor was right and that if she joined Gabby's alliance, which she was definitely considering, she might end up in the exact same position that she was in when she was aligned with Arianna and Adam in the Sky Tribe. With a deep breath, she decided that even though she hated Adam with all her might, she realised that being aligned with Oswald and Connor would definitely not result in the same situation as being aligned with Arianna as Connor seemed like a friendly person to her, and thus she assumed Oswald was too.

Thus, she gave Connor a nod, and as she did a joyful, wide smile spread across his face as he realised that he managed to persuade her. Noticing how happy he was, Brooke smiled back, despite her feeling slightly uncertain about the situation as a whole.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"Yes! I'm so happy that it worked! When I first brought up Adam being a part of our new alliance, I was almost certain that Brooke would get up and walk away, shooting me down right there on the spot. But...and it really surprised me, but she didn't! She didn't walk away, and she actually agreed! I just hope that Oswald can persuade Adam, which I think is going to be a lot harder because, while Brooke is really friendly, Adam seems to be constantly annoyed and irritated about everything. If Oswald can't persuade Adam...then all this will end up being for nothing, and that would be awful because it would mean that both me and Oswald would likely end up eliminated before the true merge came around. But I know that Oswald can do it; he's clever, and persuasive, and bright, and if there's anybody I know on this island who can persuade somebody else, it's him...I know he can do it." Connor said to the camera, nerves slightly cracking his voice despite hope also being very prominent in his speech.**

 **...**

About an hour or two later, Oswald had spotted Adam by the campfire, still alone like he had expected him to be as so far Adam didn't appear to be the most social, friendly person. About twenty minutes before Oswald found Adam on his own, he had met up with Connor in secret who had told him that Brooke had agreed to join their alliance, and so now it was up to Oswald to make sure the same happened with Adam. As Connor had succeeded, Oswald was now more determined than ever to persuade Adam to join his side.

After thinking about this, Oswald started walking in the direction of the campfire, almost certain that he would get Adam to work with him in an alliance. As he got closer to Adam, he realised that he was in the middle of slowly roasting a fish over the flickering fire, staring at the flames, looking drained of emotions but furious at the same time, which Oswald had never seen in a person before.

"Hello. I'm Oswald. I hope we can get along and win every challenge that comes our way, whether it's a reward or an immunity." Oswald introduced himself politely, before holding out his hand for Adam to shake. Adam slowly looked at him, looking neither happy nor annoyed.

"Adam." He said bluntly, ignoring his handshake. Not affected, Oswald slowly moved his hand back to his side and watched as Adam returned to tending the fish, moving it around the pan and flipping it every few seconds to make sure each side was cooked equally.

"I can understand why you're acting so distant. I think we're all a bit worried about the tribes switching, and I can totally understand." Oswald reassured Adam who felt confused. In reality, however, Oswald knew this wasn't the case and that Adam was just a moody, ignorant person generally, but he was hoping to manipulate him into joining his side by using his current tactic.

"I'm not upset about moving tribes. I can handle myself fine, I don't need anybody to protect me." Adam said, looking at Oswald with irritation in his eyes, the tone of his voice cold and annoyed.

"That may be the case, but it won't last long when we come to our first lost immunity challenge and you're without any allies, alone against everybody else in the tribe." Oswald pointed out, his voice dark and serious. "You won't be able to handle yourself then, if you have no allies to protect you."

Adam was unaffected by Oswald's menacing tone, but he did take into account what he said and he realised that he was right, and that if his tribe lost the first immunity challenge, if the alliances remained the same, it would likely either be him or Brooke leaving, because the two of them were the only ones without a single ally. Even if he asked one of the alliances to eliminate Brooke, placing his trust in them, they could easily betray him if they found Brooke as a better ally or easier prey for the future. However, despite this, he decided to remain stubborn, glaring at Oswald.

"Then I won't let our team lose a challenge." Adam muttered, slightly obnoxiously, acting as if he didn't care about the future of his game. Oswald sighed and shook his head.

"That's much easier said than done, Adam. You do realise that if anybody, even if it was only one person, wanted you gone they could just throw a challenge? Then they could simply gather a majority and get rid of you on the spot, and you wouldn't have any lifelines because you apparently want to play this game solo. The main source of staying alive in this competition is the social aspect." Oswald taught, his voice calm, and Adam, even though he didn't want to, found himself listening to what Oswald was telling him. "The alliances and friendships you make are important, as they can be the one thing determining if you make it through an elimination, or if you're heading out that very night. It's far too late in the competition for you to be placing all your hope into an immunity challenge, and if you continue to think like that you'll undoubtedly be eliminated."

"Why do you care so much?" Adam asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, suspicion evidently in his voice. "You only met me a few minutes ago."

"You seem like a strong competitor. Tough, clever and strategic. I hate to see it wasted by watching you pretty much give up all hope as soon as you're placed on another tribe. Your great intellect...would be an amazing asset to my alliance, and I can only hope that you'll agree to join." Oswald lied through his teeth, thinking of Adam as nothing but an extra vote, and to be honest Oswald could do without his awful attitude in his alliance but unfortunately he was a necessity if he wanted majority in the tribe. So, Oswald decided that Adam was the type of person who, if you pampered them up enough, would be more inclined to do things.

Adam began to think about this offer, wanting to join so he had something to fall back on if he was ever in trouble but also feeling against it at the same time because he didn't know anything about Oswald and as far as he knew he could be lying straight to his face and secretly working with the others to eliminate him, but asking him to join his alliance so his guard was lowered. However, knowing that if he refused this he could potentially be on his own for the rest of his time on the Defenders, Adam decided to take a risk and nodded.

"Thank you." Oswald said with a smile.

"So, who's even in your alliance?" Adam asked, wanting to get straight to business so he could know who he would be working with for the next few days until he was reunited with Arianna. To this, Oswald stared at him for a moment in silence, wondering how Adam would react to the knowledge of Brooke being involved in their alliance as well as him.

"Myself, you, Connor, and...Brooke." Oswald said. As he named off the first three, Adam's expression remained neutral, but as soon as Oswald mentioned Brooke's name Adam's face twisted into a look of pure hatred and anger. Instantly, he leapt to his feet, no longer caring about the fish which was starting to burn around the edges as it continued to cook in the frying pan.

"I quit the alliance." Adam said crudely, before starting to walk away. However, before he could get out of Oswald's grasp, he quickly reached out and gripped his arm. Adam, shocked, turned to Oswald and angrily tore his arm away before glaring furiously at him, only a few centimetres away from his face. "Don't you dare touch me ever again."

"Do you really want to give up a chance at an alliance and possibly your last opportunity to win this competition just because of a grudge you're holding against someone?" Oswald asked Adam the rhetorical question, completely unfazed by Adam's intense, enraged warning. "Brooke's willing to give it a try. If you refuse, then you're the one being petty and childish."

"Being rude isn't going to help persuade me, just letting you know. If you don't cut down on your attitude, then I'll just go over to Gabby, Kevin and Zane and ask to join their alliance. Then, I'd have majority over you, Connor and that stupid little girl Brooke and I could eliminate you all...one...by...one..." Adam said tauntingly, a mocking grin forming on his lips as he attempted to intimidate Oswald. "I have the power in this tribe."

"You don't have the slightest bit of power." Oswald scoffed, rolling his eyes and glaring back at Adam. "You may think you do, just because there are two alliances of three with you in the middle, being able to choose to join either one, but we could easily eliminate you right away and you'd have nothing to stop us with."

"If I asked to join Gabby's alliance, they would accept, no doubt about it." Adam said stubbornly, ignoring Oswald's words of wisdom.

"I never said they wouldn't. Of course they would accept, because it would give them the majority in the tribe, and I'm not objecting to that." Oswald said calmly, not looking for a fight. "However, the three of them have likely been in an alliance for days on end now, and they no doubt value each other over you. If you ran out of targets, so basically if you eliminated me, Brooke and Connor, then who do you think they would turn on? You."

"The same would happen if I joined your alliance, though." Adam pointed out, thinking he had found a hole in Oswald's argument. However, he was expecting this and he already had a retort at the ready.

"No, that isn't the case with us. Connor and I started our alliance on the night we switched tribes, so yesterday." Oswald began, lying to make Adam feel as if he would be more equal in their alliance over Gabby, Zane and Kevin's. "Brooke joined only a few hours ago, and so we're all equal in our alliance, and if you joined you would be too. So, it makes sense to join my alliance because you're more likely to make it to the merge that way."

Adam, starting to be convinced, was about to comply and say yes when he quickly stopped himself. Looking at Oswald carefully, a clever thought popped into his mind, that would either result in him agreeing to join or refusing.

"I'll join on one condition." Adam said ominously, and Oswald stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "After we eliminate Gabby, Kevin and Zane, and if we still haven't merged by then, I want you to promise that you'll eliminate Brooke before me."

"...I promise." Oswald lied, his eyes fixated on Adam's. In reality, as Oswald didn't know Brooke and Adam at all, he had no idea who was more valuable to him and so he would decide in the future when he had a better idea of who he preferred to be in his alliance long-term.

Adam stayed silent for a few seconds, but Oswald's fake promise seemed to convince him as he slowly nodded. Oswald held out his hand for the second time, and this time around Adam shook it, securing the deal with one of the members of the deal having no idea that the other just lied to his face multiple times.

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"And just like that, within just a few hours, Connor and I have taken control of this tribe. Am I worried that Brooke or Adam may betray us for Gabby, Zane and Kevin? No, I'm not. I think I persuaded Adam to stick with us because of my false promise to eliminate Brooke after we got rid of the three in the other alliance, and Brooke, to me, seems to be too friendly to ever betray anyone. I'll keep a close eye on them both, however, because you never know who's hiding their true intentions behind a facade of trust and kindness. You can't trust anybody in this game until they've revealed their true intentions after they've received the most votes at an elimination and they have no reason to lie anymore." Oswald said seriously, staring into the camera as he spoke and informed, his voice confident, certain and clear.**

 **...**

Gabby, Zane and Kevin all sat in the shelter, completely unaware of the scheming, plotting and aligning taking place secretly behind their backs. Despite the three of them being in the middle of a conversation, Kevin had taken a minimal role in the discussion, only reacting when someone, whether it was Zane or Gabby, directly asked him for his opinion. However, Zane and Gabby had barely noticed that Kevin hadn't been talking, both of them too involved in their own conversation.

"Who do you think we should eliminate first, if we lose a challenge?" Zane asked Gabby curiously, wondering what she was thinking.

"Definitely either Adam or Brooke, and then after that whoever we didn't choose will definitely see sense and ask to join our alliance. Then, we'll have a large majority over Connor and Oswald, who we can then get rid of one by one whenever we lose!" Gabby said cheerfully, saying it as if it was already confirmed that would be their plan and it wasn't up for discussion. Kevin was confused at this suggestion, however.

"Shouldn't we target Oswald and Connor instead?" Kevin pointed out, unsure if Gabby had thought it through or if she just said the first thing that came to her head. Zane and Gabby both looked at him, the former surprised that he was talking while the latter was annoyed about it, wishing he would just stay quiet. "Because they're in an alliance, they're much more of a threat than Brooke and Adam are, who're both on their own without any allies. Because they don't have anyone with them, they'd probably be easy to recruit and they would probably be happy to have the opportunity to be part of our alliance."

"No, we should eliminate Brooke or Adam, because if we do then Oswald and Connor won't have anyone to persuade to join their side and they'll practically be helpless. Then, we can get rid of them as easy as that." Gabby said, instantly shooting down Kevin's alternative option with a violent shake of her head. Feeling her anger rising, she shot Kevin a glare. "You literally never think before you speak, do you? You stay silent for the entire conversation, and when you finally decide to speak up, you come out with that? Absolutely ridiculous. Your mouth could get us into trouble in the future, and because of that maybe you should just keep your mouth permanently shut from now on."

Kevin, extremely hurt and embarrassed, slowly looked to Zane for support, but like he always did he simply shrugged.

"Gabby's plan does make sense, Kevin. You have to give her that. I think we should go through with her idea." Zane said, and Kevin rolled his eyes.

"Oh, of course you agree with Gabby. Why did I expect anything different? Go ahead, then. Go ahead and ruin your chances at winning this competition with your stupid plan." Kevin said angrily.

"We will." Gabby said with a smile, and Kevin shot her a glare, before she turned back to Zane. "Anyway, with that nuisance out of the picture for now, we can get back to business. From what I've seen so far, Adam seems to be the best person to eliminate so far, should we lose. In the challenges, he's proven to be incredibly strong physically, and I bet he's also quite intelligent. He's a lot stronger than Brooke no doubt about it, which could help him to win the individual immunity challenges if he makes it to the merge. Brooke, on the other hand, is just a weak, ditsy, typical friendly girl who's likely easy to manipulate, and so we should keep her over Adam because we'll easily be able to bring her over to our alliance after his elimination."

"So, Adam's our first target?" Zane inferred, and Gabby nodded. However, a concerned expression suddenly crossed Zane's face. "But how are we going to do it? I mean, we don't have a majority; there are only three of us in the alliance, and seven people in the tribe. We can't recruit Adam, because we're going to eliminate him, and we can't take in Oswald or Connor either because that would be far too many people in our alliance, at five. They probably couldn't be trusted, anyway."

"We'll simply have to persuade the only person left who we can; Brooke. If we fail, then we could all potentially be eliminated in the next few days, so we have to make sure she's loyal and dedicated to our alliance when she agrees to join." Gabby said, and Zane nodded. Gabby then placed her hands firmly on her hips. "Since I'm the most persuasive out of the three of us, I'll try and tempt Brooke onto our side by whatever means necessary, so there's no need to worry about her potentially refusing us."

"That's a good idea." Zane said in agreement. "You'll definitely be able to persuade Brooke, I know you will."

"Oh, why don't you two just kiss already?! It's so obvious the two of you like each other!" Kevin snapped out of anger, absolutely sick to death of their constant sucking up and wishing that they would just stop. "You know what, I find that really hypocritical. You were getting annoyed at me for being in a relationship with Rebekah, but you two are so much worse than we were!"

"Kevin, maybe you need to leave for a while to calm down and come back when you've fixed your attitude." Gabby said calmly, taking a step towards him. Kevin knew that, even though she wasn't showing any signs of joy, she was absolutely loving mocking him subliminally.

"No! I won't leave! I'm sick of being bullied by both of you; it's completely unfair, and I want it to stop!" Kevin cried, getting angrier and angrier.

"Just get _out_! You'll be lucky if we haven't replaced you by the time you get back for being so incompetent and useless, now go! Now!" Gabby demanded out of pure rage, her face contorted into a look of fury and hate directed at Kevin.

Kevin shocked and completely speechless, could only stare at Gabby in slight fear as she glared at him in silence. All of a sudden, the entire atmosphere was draped in an awkward tension, and Kevin wasn't sure what to do. If he left, then he would be Gabby's doormat, but if he stayed, then it could potentially get worse and he might end up being thrown out of the alliance he started himself.

Suddenly feeling incredibly small and useless, Kevin quickly scrambled to his feet and ran out of the shelter, bolting down the pathway that led to the beach, desperately trying to blink the tears out of his eyes as he ran.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"I can't believe Kevin! Just because he's been separated from his dumb bimbo of a girlfriend for two minutes he's completely broken down and now he's acting like a spoilt child! He's only been with her for about a day as well, so if he has attachment issues after less than twenty four hours of being with her then that boy seriously has something wrong with him! He's absolutely pathetic, and I literally am struggling to think of anybody in the entire world who I hate more than him right now. And, let me tell you, I hate a lot of people." Gabby growled in pure fury, exhausted with Kevin's constant childish nature in her opinion. She folded her arms as she desperately tried to stop herself from grabbing the nearest object and throwing it at the camera lens. "He's a complete and utter waste of space and oxygen and he really is dancing with the devil with his new irritating attitude. Let me tell you now, he'll definitely regret it soon."**

 **...**

 **Reward Challenge**

The fourteen remaining contestants still fighting for the grand prize awarded to the winner of the season all walked into the challenge area from two separate directions in their new tribes; the seven contestants from the Attackers, and the seven contestants from the Defenders. All of them seemed nervous albeit eager to get to their first challenge they would be competing in as a new tribe, hoping that they could win and leave a good impression on the rest of their tribemates.

Miles, Sasha, Rebekah, Scar, Arianna, Griff and Jackie all stood together on a red circle, created for the Attackers, while Oswald, Brooke, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Gabby and Adam stood on a blue circle, labelled for the Defenders. As the contestants waited for Chris to arrive, some past friends and allies exchanged glances, waves and smiles to each other from their respective tribe mats, while enemies gave each other glares, scowls and cold stares.

Chris soon entered, walking briskly across the beach until he stood in front of both tribes, an excited grin on his face as he waited to explain what would be in store. There was absolutely no equipment on the beach whatsoever, meaning the challenge would take place at sea. Far out into the distance, some of the contestants noticed two large, tall circular platforms with a wide disc at the top of each one. One was red, for the Attackers, and the other was blue, for the Defenders. There was a ladder at the bottom of each platform leading up to the top, revealing that the contestants would have to stand on top at some point. Sitting on top of each of the platforms was a shortened tightrope pole with two heavy sandbags attached to either side.

As the contestants wondered what they would have to do, some of them exchanging whispers, Chris grinned and extended his arms to attract everyone's attention before he began to explain.

"Welcome, contestants, to your first reward challenge as two brand new tribes! As you all already may have noticed, as you've spent a night and half a day with each other, Ingrid was eliminated at yesterday's bonfire." Chris pointed out, and as he said so Sasha sadly looked down at the ground, the thought of losing her best friend paining her more as every minute passed. "But enough about that, let's reveal the prize for today's reward challenge!"

Chris then whipped off a white blanket that was originally obscuring the reward, and as he did so everybody gasped in amazement and joy. Sitting on the ground in front of Chris were three huge bags of potatoes and a large assortment of pots, each of them filled to the brim with a different spice such as basil, ginger, mint, paprika, coriander and many more. Some of the contestants stared longingly at the extensive prize, each of them wanting it desperately.

"The winning tribe will win this amazing reward which'll definitely spice up the common, boring, plain fish you've all been eating since the start of the competition!" Chris said, and some of the contestants cheered in excitement. Then, the smile vanished from Chris' face, being replaced with a mischievous smirk. "But what type of challenge will you have to win to earn these amazing delicacies? Well, let me explain.

"One member from each tribe will have to swim out to the platforms, pick up the tightrope pole, and attempt to knock their opponent off their platform and into the water. The contestant who knocks their opponent off first wins a point for their tribe. The tribe with the most points after everybody's fought wins the reward." Chris explained. "You can only stay on your own platform, and you cannot under any circumstances move to your opponent's circle. If you do, you're disqualified. Good luck everybody!"

With that, the tribes arranged into small circles and began to decide who would go first, second, third etc. After a few minutes of discussion, the Attackers' and Defenders' first fighters swam out to their respective red and blue platforms; Miles and Oswald. They both climbed on top and picked up their tightrope poles, neither of them finding it too hard to hold. As their teammates watched from way back on the beach, some of them struggling to see the two, Miles and Oswald exchanged a glance of mutual determination.

The two waited in complete silence, focusing themselves, observing their opponent, listening to the silence. All of a sudden, the klaxon went off, signifying the start of the challenge. All of a sudden, Miles and Oswald leapt into the action, both of them desperately wanting to win for their respective team.

 **Round One: Miles (The Attackers) v Oswald (The Defenders)**

Miles decided to go for a quick physical approach, feeling that his strength would outmatch Oswald's and he would easily be able to take him down within a few seconds. However, as he lunged at Oswald, his tightrope pole at the ready, Oswald's reflexes kicked in and he backed away, stepping backwards on his podium. By dodging, he caused Miles to stumble as he didn't hit a target and he wobbled for a second.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Oswald swiftly cut through the air with his tightrope pole, one of the sandbags heading straight in Miles' direction. However, at the last second, Miles regained his balance and combated Oswald's pole with his own, and the two found themselves attempting to out strength the other, both of them gritting their teeth as they began to lose their strength gradually.

All of a sudden, Miles lost his grip on his pole, resulting in Oswald bashing him in the side with one of the heavy sandbags. Winded, Miles stumbled to the side, letting go of his pole which clattered to the ground as he himself struggled not to fall into the water. He began wobbling on one side, but just as Oswald thought he had succeeded Miles fell back onto the platform, coughing and spluttering as he tried to catch his breath which he had lost due to Oswald's attack. As he wasn't allowed to cross platforms, Oswald could only wait for Miles to catch his breath, which seriously irritated him as if it wasn't for that he would've won the match by now.

All of a sudden, while Miles continued to breathe heavily, causing Oswald to lower his guard slightly for a moment, the former leapt into action, swinging his body around quickly. Miles picked up his tightrope pole and rapidly slammed it into Oswald's stomach before he could do a single thing about it. Oswald began coughing from the shock and pain and, unable to stop himself as he was so focused on his injury, accidentally stepped too far back, falling off the platform and landing with a crash in the water below.

Breathing heavily from the exhilaration of the fight, Miles stared at the spot where Oswald fell into the water, smiling to himself, relieved that he had won the match and thus a point for the Attackers.

 **Round Two: Sasha (The Attackers) v Gabby (The Defenders)**

Sasha, having been pitted against one of the people who she was most scared of while she was on the Sand Tribe, nervously stared at Gabby as she held her tightrope pole with ease, swinging it around in preparation for the match. Feeling a pang of worry rattle her body, Sasha slowly attempted to pick up her tightrope pole. However, she only managed to lift up one side before she lost all of her strength and let it go, the sandbags being far too heavy for her.

Gabby smirked to herself, knowing this fight would be the easiest challenge yet for her. As the klaxon went off, Gabby lunged straight for Sasha, and the timid girl screamed in fear, ducking and wrapping her arms around her head to protect herself. The sandbag slammed into the air above her, missing her and causing Gabby to wobble but regain her balance within a second.

Knowing this was her chance, Sasha desperately tried to lift up the tightrope pole again, but once again she could barely lift up one side before her muscles gave way and she had to let go. This gave Gabby her second opportunity and, willing herself not to miss again, especially to the weakest contestant in the entire competition, she swung her tightrope pole around, and before Sasha could do anything she was whacked in the head and sent flying off her platform like a rag doll, screaming as she flew through the air until she landed in the water.

Gabby watched her land before grinning triumphantly, knowing she would win.

 **Round Three: Rebekah (The Attackers) v Kevin (The Defenders)**

Both stood on top of their platforms, neither of them wanting to fight each other for obvious reasons. So, for the first few minutes, the two just stood there, neither of them having picked up their tightrope poles, awkwardly staring at the ground or at each other. On the beach, the contestants waited, disinterested, wishing that the round could just be over so they could move on with the reward challenge. Eventually, Kevin got sick of it and looked at Rebekah.

"Rebekah, just hit me off." Kevin instructed generously. Rebekah looked at Kevin in shock, not wanting to do that to him even if he was giving her the opportunity. After thinking about it for a moment, she quickly shook her head.

"No. I'm not giving Gabby another excuse to start arguments with you. We're doing this fairly." Rebekah said confidently, slightly stubbornly, causing Kevin to sigh despondently as his grip on the tightrope pole tightened.

"Well, fine! We can do it fairly, but I'm not going to hit you." Kevin said, letting go of the tightrope pole which fell to the ground. Swiftly, Kevin turned around and folded his arms, staring out at the sea. Rebekah sighed in annoyance, knowing he wouldn't budge until she knocked him off his platform.

"Fine, okay? Fine!" Rebekah muttered, before whacking Kevin with the tightrope pole and causing him to stumble off his platform, crashing into the water. She watched him floating in the water below before he started swimming back, guilt written all over her face.

 **Round Four: Arianna (The Attackers) v Adam (The Defenders)**

Arianna and Adam, two allies who were placed on separate tribes, both glared angrily at each other as they stood on their platforms, both able to hold their tightrope poles with ease. Despite them being in an alliance, neither of them had any qualms about violently attacking the other off their platform, thus meaning this match would be a good one.

After the klaxon went, neither of the two moved an inch as both wanted to see what their opponent's first move was so they could dodge it and retaliate while they couldn't respond as well as they could've done if they hadn't attacked. However, as neither of them approached, both simply stared at each other, their eyes narrowed, ready to fight the other whenever the time came.

Adam made the first move by lunging forward and taking Arianna by surprise, spinning his tightrope pole to the left using his extreme physical strength and slamming Arianna in the side with it. Pained, Arianna stumbled to the right, almost losing her grip on her pole as she began to stumble towards the edge. However, her reflexes acting quickly, she quickly rammed her tightrope pole on the ground to stop her body from falling off the edge.

Taking the opportunity while she was weakened, Adam swung the tightrope pole around again but Arianna noticed out of the corner of her eye and willingly fell to the ground to avoid it. Adam's tightrope pole hit nothing, causing him to almost fall forward but he quickly recovered by leaning backwards. Arianna scrambled to her feet and jabbed Adam with her pole, causing him to step backwards in pain.

With both of them now equal injury-wise, both of them glared at each other from their platforms, wanting nothing more than to give the other a hard smack with one of the sandbags and send them flying into the water below. Arianna went first, attempting to jab Adam again, but this time he was ready and he swiftly dodged before whacking her hard.

This time, Arianna had no hope of recovering. She fell off the platform and landed in the water. When she emerged from the depths, a furious expression was on her face while Adam smirked down at her.

 **Round Five: Jackie (The Attackers) v Brooke (The Defenders)**

Jackie and Brooke, neither of them having met before and both having roundabout equal strength, both gave each other a friendly, hopeful smile as they both struggled to pick up their tightrope poles. After a few moments, they both eventually did manage to pick up the two heavy sandbags combined with a narrow, wooden stick. The two waited nervously in silence, until the klaxon went off.

Jackie attempted to spin her body around and hit Brooke that way, as she couldn't lift the tightrope pole any higher, but Brooke easily backed away, dodging it, before proceeding to retaliate with a whack with one of the sandbags. Jackie couldn't dodge in time and it collided with her leg, causing it to buckle and sending her to the ground with a scream, almost landing on the sandbag.

Brooke, despite feeling guilty, desperately wanted to win the reward and so she hit her again. Jackie rolled to the side to avoid it but once again she wasn't fast enough and she was hit over and over again, groaning every time as she began to get more and more tired. Eventually, Jackie slowly but surely rose to her feet by using her tightrope pole as a prop, and attempted to swing it at Brooke for the second time.

But Brooke was alert, determined, and not nearly as tired as Jackie, and so she simply dodged before colliding her tightrope pole with Jackie's chest, causing her to cough and splutter as she fell once again, this time missing the edge of the platform and tumbling into the ocean below with a crash. Brooke looked over apologetically, feeling really guilty for battering Jackie non-stop.

 **Round Six: Griff (The Attackers) v Connor (The Defenders)**

Griff, knowing that the Attackers were losing so far by one point, know that he had to win this match or else his team wouldn't win the reward challenge and thus wouldn't take the potatoes and pots of spices back to camp with them. Connor, on the other hand, understood that if he won this, no matter what happened in the final match, the Defenders would take the victory.

The klaxon went off and both lifted their tightrope poles at the same time, attempting to hit each other with one of the sandbags on either end, but as they did it at the same time the poles collided with each other, sending a shock wave through their bodies and causing them to grit their teeth as they attempted to overcome the discomfort.

After both of their first attempts failed, both backed off for a moment to rethink their strategy. Suddenly, Griff, filled with an immense confidence to succeed, leapt forward and swung the tightrope pole around, startling Connor. The sandbag hit his side, causing Connor to wobble but remain on his feet. Griff leaned backwards in preparation for another advance, but Connor took this opportunity to repel with a whack in the stomach.

Griff coughed violently, almost losing his grip on his tightrope pole, but after a few seconds he managed to recover and gripped his pole strongly. Connor held his ground, watching every move Griff made and making sure he didn't try to sneak an attack while he wasn't paying attention.

Connor lifted up his tightrope pole and moved forward quickly, jabbing it at Griff, but at the last second he dodged and swung his pole around, whacking Connor in the side.

Within a second, Connor lost his grip completely on the tightrope pole which clattered to the ground. Before he could regain his balance, Griff hit him again, which secured his victory as Connor slipped on the platform and rolled off the edge, landing in the water. As he watched this, a relieved smile rose to Griff's lips as he realised that the Attackers still had a chance at winning the challenge and earning the amazing prize.

 **Round Seven: Scar (The Attackers) v Zane (The Defenders)**

As both teams had three points each, this match would determine which team won and which team lost. Zane stood on his platform, feeling slightly unnerved at having to fight Scar who intimidated him greatly. Scar, on the other hand, had no emotion on his face, albeit the occasional twitching of his head. Both held their tightrope poles firmly, neither of them taking their eyes off their opponent for a single second.

Then, the klaxon went off. Instantly, Scar leapt into action, ramming his tightrope pole forward and blowing Zane directly in the stomach. Startled, Zane almost lost his grip on his tightrope pole already, his hands slacking slightly. This was all Scar needed as he spun around, hitting Zane in the side and sending him sprawling to the ground, landing with a rough bang on top of the slippery platform, gasping for air, only one hand on the tightrope pole.

Scar, feeling no remorse whatsoever, quickly crouched down and pummelled Zane over and over again with the sandbag on the left hand side of his tightrope pole, no emotion on his face at all. Zane let out a groan, refusing to give up, and he slowly began to get to his feet. However, Scar spun his tightrope pole in a circle, knocking Zane off his feet and sending him back down to the ground.

Annoyed, Zane quickly leapt into action, grabbing his tightrope pole and swinging it at Scar. However, he easily hopped over it and rammed his pole into Zane's stomach, sending him spinning backwards and falling off the edge. He desperately tried to use his tightrope pole to his advantage by holding onto it, but it was far too late and he as well as his tightrope pole splashed into the water, securing Scar's victory and thus a win for the Attackers.

After watching it take place on the beach, the six members of the Defenders sighed despondently, some complaining, as all of them desperately wanted the prize. On the other side of the beach, the members of the Attackers all broke into ecstatic cheers, high-fiving and hugging each other joyfully as they knew they would be eating a flavourful meal that night and for the next few days.

"And with Scar's brilliant, flawless victory, the Attackers win 4-3!" Chris announced, and the members of the Attackers continued to cheer as Scar arrived back at the beach, soaking wet from swimming back to the shore. "When you arrive back at the tribe, these three bags of potatoes and the pots of spices will be by your campfire. Well done; you deserve it."

After the Attackers got over their initial excitement, the members of both tribes said farewell to each other for now and departed on two separate pathways, both of them heading back to their respective camps with half of the contestants feeling rejuvenated and hopeful and the other half feeling moody and despondent.

 **The Attackers _(Miles, Scar, Griff, Sasha, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie)_**

Jackie sat on one of the logs surrounding the campfire on her own, the fire crackling and dancing gracefully, carefully moving a fish cooking in the frying pan around the metallic surface, watching it sizzle as it got browner and browner, growing closer to completion. As she smelled the fish, a small smile rose to her lips, and she slowly turned to her left to pick up a pot of garlic and she gingerly tapped it onto the fish.

As she tapped it on, she smiled yet again, knowing that it would improve the overall flavour massively and it made her happy to think that she would no longer be eating bland, tasteless fish anymore, at least for a few days. Just as she was adding some pepper to the fish and stirring it around the pot a bit more, Griff and Rebekah, the brand new alliance, arrived at the campfire and sat down next to her. Only a few minutes ago, Jackie had told Sasha to spread the word of the meal almost being ready, and so they had arrived briskly, eager to try the new flavoured fish.

"Hello! We haven't really met each other properly yet, so my name's Jackie!" She began kindly, a wide smile on her face. Kevin and Rebekah also introduced themselves politely, also smiling. "The fish shouldn't take much longer."

"It smells absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try it with all the new exciting spices on it; I was getting so bored of almost two weeks of nothing but plain fish! I think I've eaten nothing but it for so long that I've actually developed an allergy to it!" Rebekah said excitedly, and Jackie put her hand to her mouth, giggling.

"I agree! The smell is making me so hungry that I'm close to eating the log I'm sitting on!" Jackie announced jokingly, and while Rebekah laughed Griff smiled. The three sat in silence then for a few minutes, listening to the crackling of the fire as it cooked the fish, all three of them awaiting its completion excitedly. Knowing that if he didn't take his mind off it he would become ravenous, Griff quickly thought of a topic to talk about while they waited.

"I'm so happy that we won that challenge; the reward was definitely worth it! The challenge was so hard though, and I'm just happy that I managed to beat Connor and win a point for our tribe." Griff said with a smile.

"Yeah, you did really well, Griff, and you too Rebekah." Jackie congratulated with a kind smile, before she sighed slightly and her expression changed from happiness to slightly despondency. "I wish I could've done a better job in my match, but Brooke was just too strong for me. That girl doesn't look like much, but she can definitely pack a punch!"

"Ugh, don't even mention _her_." Rebekah groaned in annoyance, rolling her eyes at the mention of the girl who betrayed her back on the Sea Tribe. "I wish you won just so I could've seen Brooke get a good hard smack with one of those sandbags! She definitely deserves a whack in that pretty little face of hers."

"How come you're so angry at Brooke?" Jackie asked, confused. At this, Griff's eyes lowered to the ground as he remembered what Brooke was like while he was on the Sky Tribe with her; kind, generous and friendly, and the fact that it appeared that she was actually faking it the entire time just to manipulate him.

"Well, in the beginning of the game, Brooke and Miles tricked me and my friend Olivia into voting for separate people while the two of them were secretly working together. The two of them voted for Olivia and completely blindsided us, and we could do nothing about it." Rebekah explained, before the tone of her voice grew worried. "If they just chose me instead of her, I would've been eliminated second and I wouldn't be here now. Every time I think about it, I can't stop thinking about how I was and still am to be here."

As Rebekah explained her story to Jackie, Griff grew more and more uncomfortable as his original vision of Brooke began to warp and change from a bright and colourful picture to a greyer and darker image of his past ally.

"That's awful, and so sneaky! Some people in this game are literally here just to win and they would do anything to make it further. The fact that same people would betray and lie to others, other human beings, just to win money completely disgusts and sickens me to the core. This game will never change me, and I'll never let it." Jackie said, lies spilling out of her mouth like a tipped over glass of water. Only a few days ago, she had betrayed her very own alliance consisting of herself, Scar and Jayna by joining with Oswald and Connor, and indirectly causing Jayna's elimination. However, she decided to keep this a secret.

"I agree." Rebekah mumbled awkwardly, even though she also did the same. Jackie then sighed.

"Even though I would never betray an ally in a million years, it looks like I'll never even have the opportunity to based on my time on this tribe so far. I've been on this tribe for an entire day now and I still haven't even spoken to anyone except for Scar who I arrived on the tribe with, not to mention joining any alliances!" Jackie muttered, bitterly, as she took the browned fish out of the frying pan, slowly shuffling it onto a plate and making sure it didn't land on the ground. "Even though I at confident and open on the outside, I really am...quite insecure and shy."

As Jackie sighed again, asking Griff to hand her the knife which was resting next to him so she could cut the fish, the two allies exchanged a glance as Griff retrieved the knife for her. Instantly, both Rebekah and Griff knew what the other was thinking. Instantaneously, the two of them nodded at each other, confirming the exact same question which rested in both of their heads.

"Thank you." Jackie said gratefully with a smile, and she began to carefully cut the fish up into an equal seven portions.

"I'm also quite insecure, if it makes you feel better, Jackie. In fact, I think everybody in the world is in some way or fashion, no matter how loud, confident and obnoxious they may present themselves to be." Rebekah informed her, and Jackie paused her cutting for a moment, looking up at her. "You shouldn't put yourself down for being insecure; you're an amazing, beautiful person and you should be proud of it."

"I...thank you, Rebekah." Jackie said awkwardly, completely stunned by the sudden compliment but also grateful.

"Yeah, I agree with Rebekah. Even though I only just met you, you seem like a good person to me!" Griff complimented with a smile, and Jackie blushed slightly, embarrassed but also happy.

"Thank you so much; I really do appreciate it." Jackie said honestly, beaming from pure joy. She finished cutting up the fish, and she began carefully picking each portion up with the spatula used for cooking it, placing each one on a different plate.

"Anyway, I was wondering, because you seem like a friendly and trustworthy person, if you would like to be a part of mine and Rebekah's alliance? We formed it only a few hours ago, and we both think you would be an amazing asset." Griff suggested, slightly nervously. All of a sudden, Jackie stopped handing out the fish and looked up at Griff, shock and surprise etched on her face. Then she glanced to Rebekah, who was smiling hopefully, and all of a sudden a wide grin broke out on Jackie's face.

"Yes! Of course I will! Thank you so, so much!" Jackie exclaimed, relieved as she thought that she would be entirely on her own in the tribe until her inevitable elimination. As the three smiled, and Jackie eventually got over her initial excitement and happiness, she gave the two of them a sly wink. "I'll give you each a bigger portion for that."

Rebekah and Griff both laughed at this, and soon all three found themselves harmoniously smiling and laughing, all three of them united in a brand new alliance.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"Wow, so much has happened lately! One minute I'm in a majority alliance with Oswald and Connor, with nothing to worry about, cooking bland, boring fish. Then...I'm completely swept away from them and utterly alone on a new, scary tribe full of people I've never talked to before, frightened of being eliminated and looking over my shoulder every second...and now, out of nowhere, I'm back in an alliance of three with two people who I've never talked to until now! I'm not even cooking bland, boring fish anymore; I have spices to add to it now! It's crazy, literally _crazy_ how quickly things change in this competition." Jackie exclaimed in total bewilderment, a wide, hopeful smile on her face as she thought about her brand new alliance, now optimistic that she would make it to the merge instead of being on her own during her time on the Attackers and being the first contestant eliminated on the tribe.**

 **...**

Sasha sat on the beach alone, like she did earlier that day, thinking over the day's current events and if she had made the right decision when she chose to side with Miles and ignore Rebekah's intense warning. As a small, sad sigh escaped her lips, Sasha found herself wishing that the game was much easier and simpler than it was and she soon realised that she wasn't sure if the grand prize of a million dollars and a luxury holiday was really worth it compared to all the deceit and treachery, especially as she found herself wishing that she would just be eliminated some days so all the worry and fear could just be over with.

As she was contemplating all of this, completely wrapped up in her own thoughts as if they were a blanket, she completely forgot about what she was watching, beginning to daydream, her thoughts becoming her own reality. So, when she heard soft footsteps coming from being her, she jumped in shock and fear as she was so involved in her own world.

She turned quickly around, wondering who it was, and with irritating dismay she noticed that Rebekah was standing there, looking slightly nervous and worried. Sick of constantly seeing her, Sasha scowled and instantly rose to her feet, beginning to leave, burying the uncertain, indecisive thoughts about the Miles situation deep inside the recesses of her mind. Whenever she felt herself beginning to believe Rebekah, she always reminded herself of what she did to her and became filled with hate all over again.

However, as she was thinking about this while she attempted to ignore Rebekah and leave the beach, her old ally firmly stood in her way, blocking her from departing the scene, determined to the end the conflict once and for all. Sasha balled her hands into fists as her body began to shake slightly from anger.

"Get out of my way. I'm only going to ask you once." Sasha warned her through gritted teeth, staring at Rebekah with nothing but resentment in her eyes. Rebekah, in response to her warning, widened her eyes, surprised at how quickly Sasha had changed from a timid, easily frightened, emotional girl into an angry, easily irritable, defensive one. As she stared at her angry ally, Rebekah realised sadly that it was all her fault.

"...No." Rebekah refused stubbornly, folding her arms and glaring back at Sasha. For a moment, Sasha turned back to the sea, taking a deep breath, and Rebekah thought that she was finally starting to calm down. However, in less than a second, Sasha spun briskly back around and practically leapt at Rebekah, moving her face closer until it was only an inch away from Rebekah's.

"I SAID GET OUT OF MY WAY NOW!" Sasha screamed at the top of her lungs, her face going bright red from fury. Rebekah flinched slightly at this, feeling a spark of fear in her heart that made her want to move, but she willed herself to be strong and that if she wasn't she would lose Sasha forever. Sasha became even more annoyed at this. "Why...do you want to make my life such a misery...? What did I do wrong...to cause you to hate me...so much...?"

"Sasha, listen to me. I am so, so, _so_ sorry for what I did to you. You literally have no idea how guilty I feel, and I've never felt so guilty about something before, not in my entire life, even outside of this game. Please forgive me Sasha, and I promise to never, ever betray you or do anything bad against you ever again. Please." Rebekah pleaded, unleashing her heart to Sasha who fell silent to listen to her pleas.

After listening to what Rebekah had to say, Sasha stared at her in silence for a few moments, observing her upset, devastated face and realising with a start that Rebekah was truly being genuine and she really did mean the apologies she was expressing. So, despite feeling an intense source of anger in the pit of her stomach, Sasha slowly and timidly nodded her head.

"Okay. I forgive you, Rebekah." She said, speaking so quietly that her voice was almost a whisper.

Rebekah, ecstatic, broke out into a relieved smile and ran happily towards Sasha, wrapping her up in a tight hug which was impossible to escape from. However, while she was being hugged, Sasha displayed no happiness, no emotions whatsoever in fact, and instead appeared to be empty and drained. After a few seconds, Rebekah released her grip and looked at Sasha happily, who continued to show no expressions.

"You won't regret forgiving me, Sasha, I promise you that. I'll never, ever do anything to hurt you again!" Rebekah swore before hugging Sasha yet again. As she did, Sasha grew more and more uncomfortable before she began to consider shaking out of Rebekah's grasp.

"You better not." Sasha said, and Rebekah's expression shifted to that of confusion. "If you did, I promise that I would stop at nothing to get you eliminated as soon as possible."

Realising that she was being deadly serious, Rebekah, now slightly uncomfortable, was unsure how to react as she noted that Sasha didn't appear to share even a quarter of a quarter of the happiness and joy she herself was feeling at that moment. However, she decided to continue with her plan, as she had already 9made it this far with Sasha who she originally thought would never put her trust in her again.

"...I have something to ask you, Sasha." Rebekah began slowly and tentatively, and Sasha looked at Rebekah expectantly, waiting for her to continue and explain. "Well, now that you've forgiven me, I was wondering if...well, if you'd like to join my alliance?"

This instantly threw so much shock and surprise at Sasha that it almost hit her in the face, and within seconds she had gone from forgiving Rebekah to being immediately filled with detestation and anger directed at her all over again. Upon hearing the question, Sasha gave Rebekah a furious glare, causing the latter to regret asking the question right away and resulting in all the hope in her eyes and in her face instantly diminishing into nothing.

"Oh, I see exactly how it is. Just because I've forgiven you, and I start to feel the smallest, slightest shred of liking towards you again, you think you can just get up and start manipulating me all over again?!" Sasha growled, enraged, completely believing that was the case. Rebekah's mouth dropped open in shock. "It's not going to work, Rebekah!"

"W-what? N-no, that isn't the case at all, n-not at all! I was j-just happy that we were finally friends again, a-" Rebekah began before she was interrupted by an irate Sasha who didn't want to hear anything she had to say.

"The two of us are not friends." Sasha said bluntly, forcefully and coldly, causing Rebekah's eyes to crease, hurt. "We will never be friends again, Rebekah. All I did was forgive you, and within two seconds I already regret it completely."

"I was just trying to protect you, Sasha! Being in an alliance with Miles, no matter who you are or how many people are in it as well, is completely and utterly dangerous! If you stay with him for long, you'll soon realise how much of a manipulator and a liar he really is! You'll regret it, I promise you!" Rebekah desperately attempted to persuade Sasha yet again with the exact same tactic.

To this, Sasha gasped in shock.

"Are you saying everything that's happened is all my fault?! I absolutely cannot believe you!" Sasha screamed, her voice getting louder and louder, starting to seriously frighten Rebekah. However, before Rebekah could start justifying her words, Sasha interrupted her yet again. "I'm already in an alliance, if you haven't noticed already, and I'm not willing to betray Miles like you betrayed me! I would rather _die_ than be in an alliance with you ever again, and I want you to stop trying to manipulate me already!"

As Rebekah stood there, speechless and hurt, not knowing what to say, Sasha continued, her voice menacing and heartless.

"I wish I never forgave you and gave you hope that we could possibly be friends again. I take it back." Sasha growled with an angry scowl. "Never talk to me again."

With that, Sasha attempted to leave the beach, walking towards the woods. However, in a last ditch attempt to persuade her onto her side, Rebekah blocked her path for the second time. Sick of Rebekah trying to constrict her actions, Sasha gave her an angry, rough shove, causing Rebekah to stumble and almost fall on the ground but luckily she managed to regain her balance. By the time she steadied herself, she couldn't see Sasha anywhere and she quickly glanced over her shoulder to see her departing into the forest, disappearing completely from sight. Rebekah watched her leave, sadness and regret in her eyes.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"What's wrong with me?! What is wrong with me?! Sasha finally, _finally_ agreed to forgive me, but I had to go too far and ruin it by asking her to join my alliance! How stupid of me was that? I'm such an idiot! What was I thinking?! That makes it looks so much like I was trying to manipulate her again, but I wasn't! That really wasn't the case, I promise! I just wanted to save Sasha, to rescue her from Miles' awful clutches, but there's no way that's ever going to happen now..." Rebekah complained, furious with herself, her eyes stinging with wet tears as she thought about the situation and the conversation she had with Sasha only a few minutes before she entered the confessional box. Then, she realised something else and let out a groan of annoyance and despair. "Now, I might have lost my chance at winning the majority for my alliance! Griff definitely, under no circumstances, will align with Arianna ever again, which means the only option left is Scar, who I don't think even wants an alliance! My life in this competition is getting worse and worse, and it started getting like that ever since I decided to manipulate Sasha...this is all my fault..."**

 **...**

Miles and Arianna stood together for the first time since that morning when Arianna unleashed her rage and true personality on him. The atmosphere was completely draped in tension, as both of them were thinking about Arianna's outburst and neither of them were particularly sure how to actually begin the conversation, not to mention what they were actually going to speak about.

To add to the tension, Arianna was thinking about what Scar had told her about Miles, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get it out of her head because, as much as she didn't want to, she completely believed Scar's claims. As she thought about this, she glanced at Miles, thoughts swirling around in her head as she was unsure what to do.

Suddenly, Miles smiled.

"The fish earlier tasted a lot nicer with spices added to it, didn't it? I hope they last a long time, because that meal was the first one I've enjoyed in a long time since I've been on this island." Miles said. To this, Arianna smiled and nodded as to not let Miles know about what she was really thinking about.

"I agree! I'm glad the reward was a good one because the challenge itself was really hard!" Arianna pointed out.

"Well, the challenges are only going to get harder and harder from here as we get further away from the beginning of the game and closer to the end." Miles said poetically and logically. "Also, as the competition progresses, it's going to become a lot harder to trust people and we should be incredibly careful with who we choose to align ourselves with in the future."

"That last part is definitely true, no doubt about it." Arianna remarked, eyeing up Miles suspiciously as she talked, wondering whether to bring up what Scar told her and see what Miles had to say for himself or keep it a secret for now. Miles instantly noticed her expression and realised that she was acting strangely, so he took matters into his own hands.

"Is anything the matter, Arianna? You've seemed quite tense all throughout today." Miles admitted, and in response Arianna stared at Miles in silence before deciding that she couldn't stay quiet about what Scar informed her of.

As a shudder of nerves and slight fear pulsed through her body, Arianna began to explain to Miles why she was acting so odd compared to her usual personality.

"Scar told me something, an hour or so before the reward challenge started. He said that...you can't be trusted, and that when you were on the Serenity Tribe you were a...manipulator, and a liar. I'm not sure what to think about this, but...it does make sense, I mean, considering the fact that you were completely against him being part of our alliance. As well as that, you didn't want Jackie in our alliance either, who also came from the Serenity Tribe. Then, there's Rebekah from the Sea Tribe and I...ugh, I just don't know what to think!" Arianna exclaimed, confused and falling behind for possibly the first time in the entire competition thus far. "You only want to align with people whom you've never spoken to before which...I can't help finding suspicious."

Miles' mind worked quickly and he turned to Arianna, a dead serious expression on his face.

"Scar can not be trusted in the slightest, Arianna. That's the prime reason for why I didn't want him in the alliance, not because I'm the one who's the manipulator and the liar. That really isn't the case at all!" Miles protested, before deciding to use Scar's unnatural habits and tendencies to his advantage. "When you were talking to Scar...was he up in a tree, sitting in complete silence?"

Arianna, remembering how unnerved she was by that, nodded in silence. To this, Miles gave a sigh.

"Scar is mentally disturbed, Arianna, and if you ask me I don't think he should've been allowed in the competition in the first place. He's incredibly dangerous physically, as well as mentally, and I believe that if he's pushed far enough he genuinely would hurt somebody. Arianna...your life was in danger when you were talking to him alone in the woods, and you shouldn't risk doing it again." Miles warned, his eyes wide as if he was fearful, but in actuality he was simply faking this.

"I...um...how am I supposed to know that you're not manipulating me right now, like Scar said?" Arianna asked. Miles looked Arianna in the eye as he responded.

"I promise you that everything I'm saying is the complete and utter truth, Arianna. You cannot trust Scar because absolutely everything, and I mean _everything_ that comes out of his mouth is a total fabrication. He's a compulsive liar, and nothing he says can be believed unless it's proven." Miles said, his tone dark and alarming. "Scar has absolutely no loyalty at all inside his body. Please don't ever talk to him again, at least on your own, because I'm really worried that he may end up hurting you or potentially worse."

Arianna, her usual obnoxious personality having been crushed into small, little pieces and scattered into the ocean, felt slightly fearful as she gave Miles a timid nod but remaining silent, worried that her voice would crack from trepidation. She believed what Miles was saying completely, swallowing it all up, as Miles, despite him keeping it a secret, was a very persuasive and very talented manipulator and liar, even if Arianna was good at fabricating stories herself.

After Arianna silently promised to stay away from Scar, Miles sighed.

"I would love to eliminate Scar the first opportunity we can, but unfortunately, at the moment, I believe that Griff and Rebekah are starting to form an alliance. This could cause trouble, especially if they start to recruit the others in the tribe, and we need to make sure that we secure a majority before we even think about eliminating Scar for his treacherous and deceitful ways." Miles informed his ally.

Arianna nodded again, knowing that it made sense for the time being, acting completely different to how she usually acted. Miles smiled.

"Arianna, I promise that we'll be fine and the two of us will both survive to the merge, no doubt about it." Miles said calmly in a relaxing manner, which reassured the worried Arianna ever so slightly.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"So Scar is spreading bad information about me, hm? Well, I definitely cannot have that, not under any circumstances, because if word of my actions reaches Sasha, she might seriously start to believe Rebekah's truthful warnings and claims that I'm a manipulator and a liar and I keep it hidden with a veil of kindness and generosity. Another problem is that if Scar continues to tell people about what I've really been up to, then he might end up telling other potential alliance members. Then, they won't want to align with me because they'll be too scared of me betraying them, and I'll be left on my own in the minority with only Arianna, and possibly not even her if she begins to start doubting me. I need to tread carefully here; this is a new tribe, and at the moment, I'm probably the largest target for elimination. If I'm not completely aware of what I'm doing at all times, I could finally be about to receive my karma for all the eliminations and betrayals I've caused." Miles muttered with a concerned, unnerved look on his face, the emotion in his eyes showing that he was thinking desperately for some kind of solution.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"Gosh...Scar really is good at manipulating people, isn't he? It's just like Miles said; he really cannot be trusted at all! It's really creepy how good he is at using other people to his own advantage; he's much better than me, and I really don't want someone like that remaining in this competition, because in the future he could become a huge issue for me. I'm just glad and relieved that Miles warned me, and told me all about what Scar's really like, because if he didn't...I might've actually believed Scar's lies, then confronted Miles angrily about it and lost one of the only two allies I have on this tribe. Then, Sasha, my only one left, would no doubt go with and stick with Miles because she likes him way more than me, and then...I'd be on my own...and I'd definitely end up eliminated." Arianna said, her voice starting off loud and clear but then slowly reducing to nothing more than a whisper as she thought about her unnerving conversation with Scar in the middle of the clearing earlier on in the day, just the two of them. All of a sudden, an expression of anger and irritation glazed over her frightened eyes. "He's going to regret trying to trick me, the mute freak! He's got something coming to him, and when it arrives...he won't be ready. I assure you that."**

 **...**

 **The Defenders _(Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Adam, Brooke and Gabby)_**

Brooke was squatting down at the ocean, vigorously scrubbing one of the cooking pots used for frying the fish they ate for their meal earlier on. Most of the grime had come off with ease, but some of it was desperately clinging onto the metallic surface of the pot, causing Brooke to groan in exasperation whenever she attempted to clean it and failed miserably. She stopped for a moment, placing the pot down as she began taking deep breaths, before picking it up again to continue.

As she continued to scrub at the point, her mind drifted from what she was currently doing and began thinking about the situation she was in on the tribe at that moment. With a smile, she realised how lucky she was to be a part of Oswald and Connor's alliance, even if Adam had to be in it also.

A few minutes after returning from the reward challenge, Brooke met Oswald for the first time and had instantly taken a great liking to him, which added to her already growing friendship she had with Connor. Another smile, a greater smile, crossed her lips as she thought about how happy she truly was to be in her current alliance, and she hoped that it would last past the merge and Oswald and Connor wouldn't up and abandon her for their past allies as soon as they could.

However, she couldn't stop her smile faltering as she once again remembered that Adam was also part of their alliance now, as when she was in the middle of her conversation with Oswald he had unfortunately told her that he had accepted the offer. However, with a sigh, Brooke supposed it couldn't be helped and they needed him for a majority.

While she had talked to both Connor and Oswald, however, she hadn't yet said a word to Adam since their conversation yesterday, when she promised him that she would never be in an alliance with him ever again. Groaning, Brooke knew that he undoubtedly bring it up to mock her. Brooke sighed, but once again reminded herself that she was part of a majority alliance with two people whom she really liked, and that thought made her feel slightly happier, even if she was stuck with someone who she absolutely detested. To make it better, Brooke reminded herself that at least it wasn't Arianna.

"Those pots are so annoying! Things stuck to them so easily and it's impossible to get them off, right?" A sudden voice started from behind her, surprising Brooke and snapping her out of her deep thoughts.

Brooke turned around, confused as she didn't recognise the voice at all, and saw Gabby. Upon seeing her, Brooke suddenly realised that she hadn't yet spoken to Gabby, the only girl other than her on the Defenders. As she thought about this, Brooke also noted that she also hadn't talked to Kevin or Zane, all of them being members of Gabby's alliance.

After hearing what Gabby said, Brooke looked at the pot in her hand to see that the crust was still clinging to the metallic surface, and she looked up at Gabby and smiled, attempting to be polite and natural so she didn't suspect that she was already part of an alliance.

"If there's one thing I won't miss when I get off this tribe, it's these awful pots!" Brooke giggled in agreement. Gabby chuckled in return in a friendly manner, acting incredibly two-faced to Brooke so she would appear to be a nicer person than she really was.

"Here, I'll do it for you." Gabby offered, holding out her hand. "I've been in this terrible camp since the beginning of the game, almost two weeks now, so I've sorta developed a talent for cleaning these pots."

Surprised at the kind offer, Brooke slowly gave Gabby the pot and watched to see what her tactic of cleaning them was. All of a sudden, Gabby began vigorously scrubbing it, her teeth gritted, doing the exact same thing as Brooke but much faster, and Brooke watched in complete shock, utterly surprised at how quickly she was cleaning the dirty pan.

"So, have you made any friends on the tribe yet?" Gabby asked, pretending as if she was just making conversation when in reality she was actually trying to learn some information from the hopefully unsuspecting Brooke.

Brooke shook her head, lying, and looked at the ocean.

"I...I'm quite shy, so I struggle to talk to new people just in case I somehow...annoy them, and accidentally get them to not like me." Brooke lied to her, while Gabby looked at her with a fake sympathetic look on her face. "You probably think it's stupid, or ridiculous...but I just want to make a good impression."

Gabby, surprisingly, actually fell for the lie.

"Brooke, you have no reason to be shy. I mean, look at you! You're pretty, and kind, and there's no way that anybody could ever feel annoyed by you." Gabby reassured her, continuing her manipulation.

"Thank you..." Brooke mumbled sheepishly.

Gabby, having finished roughly scrubbing the pot, showed Brooke the finished product and she couldn't help gasping at the shining, gleaming surface which took her so long just to clean it a little bit. Gabby handed it back to Brooke.

"I won't tell anyone I'm the one who cleaned it. You know, so you can impress everyone and make a good impression, like you want." Gabby said kindly with a wink.

"Thanks." Brooke said with a grateful, amused smile. Then, she moved onto the next pot in the large pile, and as she began to clean it she found herself actually beginning to like Gabby, deciding that her boisterous and obnoxious attitude and personality in the challenges back when she was on the Sky Tribe may have just been bad days for her, or the pressure pushing down on her to do well.

"I'll help you, I can see how many there are." Gabby offered, also picking up a pot and the second scrubbing brush. As the two washed the pots and pans together, Gabby continued the conversation. "You know, I have an idea for how you can make friends with everybody in the tribe and get closer with everyone."

Brooke looked at Gabby, waiting for her to elaborate on her idea even though she was simply pretending to be a shy person.

"Why don't you join my alliance?" Gabby suggested, and Brooke's eyes widened. Noticing the look on her face, Gabby quickly continued before she could shoot it down. "If you do, I can introduce you to Kevin and Zane, and you'll also be safe from being eliminated because, with you, my alliance will have a majority in the tribe."

Brooke was suddenly hit with a stab of worry, as she was already in an alliance and she had no intention of betraying them, but she quickly tried to calm herself down and not show any outward signs of discomfort to Gabby as she would no doubt begin to get suspicious and start putting two and two together and work out that Brooke was already in an alliance. So, Brooke quickly wore a fake smile.

"That's a brilliant idea, and very kind too!" Brooke said, but then her smile faded slightly. "But...I don't want to be a nuisance or anything."

"There's no need to worry about that; I'd love to have another girl in my alliance with me, because it's been just me and the two boys for so long!" Gabby explained, hiding the fact that Rebekah and also Sasha to some extent were in the alliance when they were in the Sand Tribe. "If you joined, then the four of us would no doubt reach the merge, and during the merge an alliance of four would be incredibly powerful and tough!"

Brooke pretended to think about it for a while before giving Gabby a nod, despite her not truly agreeing to join the alliance as she decided to remain loyal to Oswald and Connor.

"I'll join. Thank you so much for the offer, Gabby! I promise you won't regret it!" Brooke exclaimed gratefully, throwing her arms around Gabby and wrapping her up in a tight hug.

However, as she hugged Gabby, Brooke's smile vanished, being replaced by an uncomfortable frown at having to lie to somebody who she just met. Also, on the other side, when Brooke couldn't see her face, Gabby's joyful grin turned into a devious, sly smirk as she believed that she had manipulated Brooke into joining her alliance, when that wasn't really the case in the slightest.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"Brooke, you had to do it. You had to. Stop feeling guilty. There are so many other people in this game, so many others, who would do exactly the same thing that you did, and some who would do even worse, so there's no need to feel guilty. You're in this to win, Brooke, and only one person wins. You can't be losing focus on your game to concentrate on somebody else's, because at the end of this there's only ever one winner, and that winner is going to be you. You can't think about other people's feelings anymore." Brooke whispered words of motivation to herself quietly in an attempt to reassure herself that lying to Gabby was the right decision.**

 **...**

After cleaning all the pots and pans and getting rid of all the grime and crust that was on them, Brooke picked them all up to take them to the little box they stored them in near their shelter. As she picked them up, she gave Gabby a friendly goodbye and turned away, starting to walk into the forest in the direction of the Sand Tribe's old shelter.

She soon reached the shelter after only a few minutes of walking and crouched down by the woven box they used to store their cooking materials. With a small grunt, she put down the crockery and lifted up the lid of the box. As she began carefully placing each pan in, making sure no dirt got on them, she suddenly heard a quiet sniffling sound and paused for a moment, listening closely.

As she listened, she suddenly heard the sound again and realised with a start that it was coming from inside the shelter. Feeling slightly frightened, Brooke realised that it could be a wild animal. Looking around quickly for something to defend herself with, Brooke eyed up the pan at the top of the stack and slowly picked it up.

Knowing that the animal could be antagonistic and dangerous, Brooke gently rose to her feet, making sure she didn't make a sound. She steadily stepped towards the entrance of the shelter, holding the frying pan tightly in her hands, fear pulsating throughout her entire body. With every step, she grew more and more frightened and nervous.

However, as she slowly turned the corner, her eyes widened in shock to see not a wild animal scurrying around, but in fact Kevin, another member of the tribe who she had never spoken to before. Brooke instantly felt uncomfortable and awkward, utterly unsure what to do, as she was standing there watching him in silence holding a frying pan. Luckily for her, his back was facing her and so he had no idea she was even there.

Brooke gently put the frying pan back in the woven box and slowly walked into the shelter, accidentally making a sound and causing Kevin to be alert of her presence. He sat up and wiped his eyes quickly, not wanting whoever was there to know he had been crying, especially if it was Zane or Gabby as they'd just make his life even worse. However, it was too late and Brooke had noticed that he had been crying, suddenly feeling very sympathetic for him even though she didn't know what had happened.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"I'm fine. I just...need some time to myself, that's all." Kevin said, trying to divert the subject, but Brooke could tell that he was keeping something bottled up and she took a step closer to him, sitting down next to him and giving him a reassuring smile.

"I'm Brooke. What's your name?"

"I'm Kevin."

"It's nice to meet you. Look, Kevin, I absolutely hate seeing anybody upset, and whenever anyone's sad about something I always try my absolute hardest to make them feel better and try to fix whatever problem they have as best as I can." Brooke explained gently. Kevin looked unsure, so Brooke continued. "I promise I won't judge you, no matter how embarrassing it may be."

"...It's...nothing embarrassing..." Kevin assured her, before looking down at the ground of the shelter. "I just feel...upset and alone right now because of what's been...happening to me lately.

"I think we all feel that way right now, with all of our friends and family miles and miles away while we're trapped on this island with people who we've never talked to before. Along with that, having to constantly watch our backs to make sure we're not being betrayed doesn't make for a very fun pass-time!" Brooke said with a giggle, but Kevin didn't see the humour in the comment whatsoever. "It'll get better, Kevin, it wi-"

"No, it's not about that!" Kevin interrupted her, slightly rudely, causing Brooke to stop talking and look at him curiously, as she thought that was the reason for why he was so upset. Kevin, tears starting to filter their way back into his vision, took a deep breath before explaining the reason for why he was so upset. "A couple of days ago, back when I was on the Sand Tribe, I started a relationship with another girl on my tribe, Rebekah, who's now on the Attackers while I was placed on the Defenders."

Brooke was surprised to hear Rebekah's name, as it instantly caused her to remember when she betrayed Rebekah early on in the game with Miles, but for obvious reasons she didn't bring it up.

"Rebekah and I were part of an alliance with Zane and Gabby, who I'm still in an alliance with now." Kevin said, and Brooke noted that Gabby lied to her earlier on about her being the only girl in her alliance, as that clearly wasn't the case. "Zane and Gabby were openly not happy about me being with Rebekah, and ever since the two of us were split up and put on separate tribes the two of them have been...they've been...bullying me. Non-stop. Bullying me and excluding me, and everything I say is instantly shot down, and I've also been threatened to be kicked out of the alliance if I don't go along with everything they say...I hate being in an alliance with them! It's gotten so bad that I've even started to wish that I could just be eliminated, just so I could get away from them...and it's not like I can leave the alliance, because if I did their harassment would just get worse!"

After his long story, Brooke found herself feeling incredibly bad for Kevin and relating his experience to hers when she was in an alliance with Adam and Arianna back on the Sky Tribe, and when she felt like she was forced to stay with them even though she wanted nothing more than to escape their awful clutches. Noticing how upset Kevin was getting, Brooke gingerly took his hands in hers.

"It'll be okay Kevin. I had a similar experience to you, but I forced myself to be strong and broke away from it, and ever since I've felt much, much better." Brooke explained slowly and gently to Kevin, but he shook his head, continuing to feel upset.

"That's all good and fine for you, but you don't know what they're like! Gabby's a terrible, cruel person and Zane's not much better in the slightest! He's constantly agreeing with her, and sucking up to her and...oh, I just know that if I quit the alliance they would make my life and complete and utter misery, Brooke! Not to mention the fact that I would be completely on my own in this stupid tribe and the two of them would probably persuade everyone to vote me off with lies..." Kevin complained, his voice cracking from sadness, before he threw his head into his hands. "Gabby especially. She's so persuasive...and manipulative...and...ugh, I just hate them both so much!"

Brooke realised that when Gabby was acting so kind and friendly to her earlier on it was definitely just an attempt to manipulate her into thinking that she was a positive, generous person, when in actuality she was simply a clever, cunning bully and that was her personality right down to the core. Brooke noted with an uncomfortable realisation that if Brooke truly joined Gabby's alliance, and betrayed Oswald and Connor, in a few days she would've been in Kevin's exact position and it would be like Arianna and Adam all over again, but with Gabby and Zane stepping in their shoes instead.

Knowing how bad and awful it was when she was trapped in an alliance with Arianna and Adam, Brooke understood something. She had to save Kevin. She couldn't bear to see him crying on his own, hidden away in the shelter while she knew all about it but allowed him to continue to be bullied and harassed by two people who were supposed to be his friends.

With a frown, Brooke thought back to just about an hour or two ago, when in the confessional she mentioned how she couldn't focus or concentrate on other people's feelings anymore and stick with herself and her own problems, but she furrowed her eyebrows as she assured her doubts that this was definitely an exception as seeing anybody being bullied just broke Brooke's heart.

Brooke knew that there was only one way to save Kevin from Gabby and Zane, and that was to invite him to join her alliance she had with Oswald, Connor and Adam. However, as she thought about this, unsure doubts began to swirl around her mind as she realised that, even though it would greatly help out Kevin and make him feel a lot better and more safe in general, it wouldn't be the best first impression on her new alliance at all, especially because she joined it only that day and she would be affecting it without permission from neither Oswald or Connor, who were the leaders of the alliance.

Another reason for why Brooke was feeling doubtful was because the entire reason for why Oswald and Connor wanted to align with Adam and Brooke was so they would have four members in their alliance rather than five, which would be the case if they took the easy way out and aligned with Gabby, Zane and Kevin in the first place. However, despite this, Brooke was almost certain that Oswald and Connor would understand her reasons and realise the current abuse that Kevin was going through and thus make an exception to resolve that.

Her mind now set, Brooke looked at Kevin who was still wiping his eyes, desperately trying to stop the flow of tears emerging from his eyes.

"Kevin...join my alliance." Brooke said, and Kevin looked at Brooke in shock, unsure if he heard her right because the question came out of absolutely nowhere. "I can't stand seeing you like this, and I can't leave knowing how much you hate being in an alliance with Gabby and Zane. Oswald and Connor, the people I'm in an alliance with, are really nice, supportive people, and it's the only alliance I've been in so far that I've felt truly happy in with no tension whatsoever. Also, we would have an even greater majority this way and you would be able to eliminate Gabby and Zane and also reach the merge and see Rebekah again. It makes complete sense!"

"Why...do you care so much? You only just met me...you shouldn't be bothered about my situation." Kevin said, perplexed, evading the question completely. To his question, Brooke smiled.

"It's just the person I am." Brooke said in reply, before her smile vanished and a more serious expression crossed her lips. "So...do you accept?"

"Yes...I do." Kevin said, smiling. "Thank you so, so much, Brooke."

"It's okay, no need to thank me. Besides, I'm sure that if I was in your position and you were in mine, you would do the same for me." Brooke said, and Kevin nodded in response. "When we tell Oswald, Connor and Adam about you joining the alliance, they'll definitely be shocked at first, but I'm certain they'll let you join the alliance."

Kevin nodded, the smile still on his face as he thought about him finally escaping Gabby and Zane, and the two of them briskly left the shelter, searching for Adam, Oswald and Connor.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"When I heard Kevin's story, I couldn't stop feeling so, so bad for him, especially because I was in the exact same position as him when I was in an alliance with Arianna and Adam. If I left him, abandoned him to resolve his issues on his own...I would be, by far, the cruellest, most malicious contestant in the entire competition. So, I hope that Oswald and Connor understand why I asked him to join the alliance. I don't care about Adam, because no matter what I say he's going to judge me, but his opinion's irrelevant anyway and he's only in the alliance for his vote. Kevin, though, I see him as a truly valuable ally, and I'm so happy to be able to save him from Gabby and Zane and stop his harassment once and for all." Brooke said, starting off with an uncomfortable frown on her face as she reminisced her time with Arianna and Adam, but by the end she was smiling joyfully, happy to help her new friend Kevin.**

 **...**

Oswald, Connor and Adam all sat together by the campfire, waiting for Brooke so they could begin their first alliance meeting as a four. Wondering what was taking her so long as she was about fifteen, nearing twenty minutes late, Connor nervously glanced behind his shoulder in the direction of the woods to see if she was arriving, but he saw no sign of her whatsoever. Noticing that Connor appeared to be worried, Adam decided to stir up some mistrust and conflict as he was feeling bored.

"Just saying, don't be surprised if Brooke's already betrayed us for another alliance. It definitely wouldn't surprise me." Adam muttered, folding his arms and hiding his smirk from view.

To this, both Oswald and Connor flat-out ignored Adam's comment, but both of them couldn't help feeling a slight sense of suspicion deep down inside them, causing them to feel worried. Adam, not happy with the result, felt the need to continue.

"Remember your promise. You promised to eliminate Brooke before me if we run out of people to eliminate from the other alliance. I'm not going to forget that." Adam said, a tone of warning buried deep down inside his otherwise neutral, bored voice.

"Yes, we remember, and we're sticking by it." Oswald reassured Adam, even though it was a lie and they hadn't yet decided whether to choose him or Brooke to keep in the alliance.

"I don't even know why you let Brooke in the alliance in the first place, to be honest. I can't believe you didn't notice how sly and devious she is the first time you talked to her! She covers up her true personality with a pretty, friendly facade on her face." Adam remarked, beginning to get carried away.

"Will you please stop talking?" Connor complained calmly, and Adam looked at him, narrowing his eyes but falling silent. "Brooke will show up soon. I know she will; we just have to wait."

"You'll be waiting for a long time." Adam butted in, determined not to let Connor have the last word.

While Connor rolled his eyes at Adam's childishness, his kindness beginning to reach its limit, he began to realise that Brooke might've been right in saying that letting Adam into the alliance was a bad idea. Oswald noticed Connor's irritated expression and looked at Adam out of the corner of his eyes, beginning to lean towards keeping Brooke over him if he and Connor ever had to make the choice, unless Brooke really had betrayed them.

As the tension between the three of them began to reach its limit, all three noticed a disturbance in the trees near the campfire. After staring at the spot where the bushes were moving for a few seconds, Brooke eventually emerged from the forestry. As Connor felt relieved and Adam felt annoyed, Oswald noticed the bush rustling behind her and suddenly realised that Brooke wasn't alone.

He was shown to be correct when Kevin also stepped out behind her, and all three glanced at Brooke in confusion.

"Sorry for being late...but I have a good reason for why I was." Brooke apologised sheepishly, before her expression became serious. "I was talking to Kevin, and I found out that he's in a really bad position. He's being bullied horribly by his allies, Gabby and Zane, and he's in a really, really bad place right now and he desperately needs help."

"See? Brooke did betray us after all!" Adam pointed out with a smirk and a scoff. As Brooke glared at him, Adam continued. "She just can't help constantly 'making friends' outside of her own alliances! It was the same on my old tribe."

"Be quiet. Let's hear Brooke out." Connor demanded to Adam, and despite not wanting to, Adam stopped talking and folded his arms, rolling his eyes.

"I made friends with Griff for the exact same reason why Kevin was sitting alone in the shelter upset; because my alliance was bullying and harassing me and thought of me as nothing more than dirt on the ground!" Brooke exclaimed furiously, feeling her anger bubbling up as she grew sick of Adam's constant teasing and humiliating.

"I bet she'll make a secret alliance with Kevin soon, if she hasn't already, and completely abandon the three of us." Adam said to Oswald and Connor, blatantly ignoring Brooke.

Brooke, after shooting Adam another angry scowl, looked at her two true allies, the ones who she actually did like, with genuine sincerity in her eyes.

"What Adam said...is similar to why I brought Kevin with me in the first place." Brooke said ominously and slightly awkwardly.

While Connor tilted his head to the side in confusion, not understanding, Oswald on the other hand didn't react but knew exactly what Brooke meant, and his mind began working quickly as he began to decide if he should go along with what Brooke was about to say or not.

Brooke then took a deep breath before revealing what was on her mind.

"Will you two...let Kevin join the alliance?" Brooke asked slowly. As Connor gasps, Oswald's thoughts were confirmed and Adam scoffed yet again, Brooke quickly jumped in before any of them could interrupt her. "I would never ask this otherwise, especially since I just joined the alliance and I'm incredibly grateful for that. I don't want to tread in water that's too deep for me, but when I saw Kevin it just...reminded me so much of my own situation and I just couldn't leave him alone to have to deal with Gabby and Zane's tormenting with nobody at his side to help him. He was getting so upset...and-and I know that five alliance members is a bit too much, especially since we're almost guaranteed to turn on each other eventually, but I'm asking you to please understand and just put yourself in Kevin's shoes. Please."

It was dead silent for a few moments, with both Brooke and Kevin waiting hopefully, glancing between Oswald and Connor every few seconds. All of a sudden, Adam began slow-clapping, completely unimpressed.

"People really never do change." He muttered, narrowing his eyes in anger at Brooke.

"I wasn't asking you, I was talking to Oswald and Connor." Brooke growled spitefully, shooting daggers at Adam and rolling her eyes. "I couldn't care less what you think, so you may as well just not talk."

To this, Adam smirked slightly.

"I can understand completely where you're coming from, Brooke." Connor began, and Brooke and Kevin quickly turned to him, forgetting all about Adam's antagonising within milliseconds. "If I was in your position, I would no doubt do the exact same thing, but I'm just not sure...especially because I don't want us to have to turn on each other after Gabby and Zane are eliminated. Because...if we do...I'm worried that it could backfire on Oswald and I, and we'd end up being voted out after giving Kevin a chance."

"Connor, I promise you that wouldn't happen." Brooke swore sincerely, and looked Connor in the eye. "Please, trust me on this."

Connor stared at Brooke for a few moments in silence, thinking about all the potential possibilities, before taking a deep breath.

"Okay, Brooke. I'll trust you...because I feel that if the positions were switched you would do the same for me." Connor spoke truthfully.

"Thank you." Brooke said in relief, smiling slightly, before it faded as she realised that Oswald still hadn't said anything since she brought up Kevin joining the alliance. As he was technically the head of the entire alliance, he knew that it was his decision above all and if he chose not to let Kevin into the alliance, then that would be what happened.

Oswald had his eyes narrowed and trained on Kevin, as if he was trying to see through his skull and enter his brain to read his inner thoughts. Eventually, after a few seconds of this in which everybody stared at him, Oswald slowly stood up from the log he was sitting on and started walking slowly towards Kevin until he was just a few centimetres away from him.

"If you're just pretending to be a helpless victim in order to weave your way into our alliance, we could easily kick you out and still own the majority in the tribe. If, for whatever reason, you _are_ still loyal to Gabby and Zane and you _are_ manipulating us all into taking you in, and we find out, then we'll make sure that we vote you out first, okay?" Oswald warned him seriously. Kevin nodded quickly at this, feeling slightly intimidated by Oswald, who then looked back at Brooke. "Just this once I'll make an exception, but don't expect it to become a common thing if you up and ask me to also let Gabby or Zane be part of the alliance. I'll trust you too."

"Thank you so much, both of you." Brooke said appreciatively, smiling, while Adam rolled his eyes in irritation at Oswald and Connor siding with her. Brooke then turned to Kevin and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Welcome to the alliance."

To this, Kevin smiled gratefully, ecstatic that he had escaped Gabby and Zane for good.

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"I owe so much to Brooke for doing this for me. I just can't believe that someone, who literally only just met me, was willing to do so much to help me...it literally blows my mind, and it makes me feel guilty but I'm not sure if I would've done the same if I was in Brooke's position at the time. But now, thanks to her, I'm finally free of Gabby and Zane's torture...and I can't wait to take them down, once and for all." Kevin said, a small hopeful smile on his lips and a spark of joy in his eyes for the first time since he left Rebekah and first entered his new tribe.**

 **...**

Whilst the new alliance agreement was taking place on the beach by the campfire, Gabby and Zane were both sitting in the shelter, just the two of them. They were sitting there to avoid the hot, burning sunlight which was streaming down from the sun. It was eerily quiet, and Zane couldn't help glancing around nervously, a pang of worry shooting through his heart.

As he sat there in silence with Gabby, Zane started hoping that they didn't go too far with Kevin, feeling worried that if he got too upset then he would end up leaving their alliance and going to someone else just to get away from them. Out of fear, Zane expressed his concerns to his ally, who dismissed them quickly.

"Kevin would never do something so stupid and ridiculous in a million years, Zane. There's no need to worry. When it comes down to it, Kevin's just a pathetic crybaby who can't do anything without his precious alliance there to protect him." Gabby mocked with a grin. "Besides, even if he did try to betray us, nobody would accept him after seeing how useless he is.

Zane nodded, but he was clearly still troubled and not reassured in the slightest.

"But what if he did try to betray us, and somebody did accept him? What would we do then? We'd lose the majority in the tribe!" Zane said worriedly, looking down at the ground as he tried to calm down. "It would just be the two of us and Brooke, and we would be eliminated one by one."

"Even if his betrayal plan did work, I have a plan to make sure that neither of us are going to be eliminated if our tribe loses the challenge." Gabby said with a mischievous and confident smirk.

"How can you possibly protect us Gabby? If we lose the majority in the tribe, then our fate is sealed! Especially because there'll be no way to persuade anyone else as they'll already be too far involved with their own alliances." Zane said, raising his voice slightly, showing a flash of anger to Gabby for the first time as he began to grow sick of her constant egotistical attitude.

"You underestimate me." Gabby said calmly, before softly tapping her nose and smirking. "It's a secret. You'll see."

"..." Zane remained silent but looked at Gabby suspiciously. "Anyway, the best thing we can do right now is win the immunity challenge because then, at the very least, we'll have two extra days to secure Kevin's loyalty or maybe even bring Adam over to our side to guarantee ourselves a majority even if one of the others, whether it's Adam or Brooke, decides to betray us after all."

"We'll definitely win the challenge. No doubt about it." Gabby said confidently with a nod, placing her hands firmly on her hips as she spoke. "There's no way I'm going to allow my tribe to lose the reward challenge and the immunity challenge. It would make us look so weak!"

Zane uncertainly nodded, but then an unsure, nervous expression crossed his face. Gabby instantly noticed this and immediately got to questioning him on it.

"What's the matter now?" She asked tiredly, sick of having to constantly reassure Zane who always seemed to have a problem on his mind. Zane looked up at Gabby in surprise, as he was extremely wrapped up in his thoughts, and quickly thought of an answer.

"Er...nothing. Well, nothing really." Zane answered quietly and awkwardly, but Gabby wouldn't accept that for a second and she stared at Zane expectantly until he eventually cracked. "I just...feel a bit guilty for Kevin, to tell the truth. I mean, if the positions were switched, and I was in Kevin's place...the thought of betraying you would definitely cross my mind, and I'm worried it's crossed his."

" _Don't_ feel guilty for him. It's not our fault he's heartbroken about not being around his girlfriend for two seconds, and he needs to learn to get used to it soon because Rebekah won't last two seconds over on the Attackers, especially because she's on her own." Gabby pointed out stubbornly, believing that her harassment of Kevin was totally justified.

To this, Zane gave an uncomfortable nod but he still found himself feeling unsure and guilty.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"I can't believe Zane's getting cold feet now! He's the one who was always complaining about Kevin and Rebekah non-stop, and now that I'm actually doing something about it, he doesn't like that either! There are some people who you really just cannot please, and Zane's definitely one of them. Sometimes I regret joining their alliance; one is a suck-up and a pathetic loser, and the other is a stubborn, annoying over-thinker!" Gabby complained before throwing her head in her hands and letting out a loud, obnoxious groan which caused her to start worrying that she might accidentally shake down the confessional. "Ugh, I'm surrounded by idiots in this tribe!"**

 **...**

 **Day 12**

 **Immunity Challenge**

The two new tribes, the Attackers and the Defenders, made their way into the challenge area, the former feeling motivated after their recent reward challenge victory while the latter felt nervous but hopeful. Once again, there wasn't much on the beach except for fourteen tightrope poles, looking exactly the same as they did in the reward challenge with the heavy sandbags still attached firmly to either end.

However, out on the sea, it was a different story completely.

There were two identical obstacle courses, one red and one blue, supposedly for the Attackers and the Defenders. The obstacle courses themselves consisted of one narrow, long beam that twisted and turned at different points, going up and down, and at the end of it rested a long, flat platform which the contestants guessed was the end goal. To add to this, the obstacle courses were only a couple of inches above the water so the ocean occasionally washed over them, causing the beams themselves to get slightly slippery.

As the contestants looked expectantly at their impending challenge, some of them knowing exactly what they would have to do while others waited for an explanation, partly confused, Chris walked briskly onto the beach and stood directly in front of and in the middle of the two tribes. He greeted them both warmly, before getting straight to explaining the challenge.

"One member from each tribe will have to hold the tightrope pole, like you did in the reward challenge, and balance along the obstacle course until you reach the end. After reaching the end platform, the contestant balancing will have to place the tightrope pole down on the platform, ending their turn. As soon as one contestant has finished the course, the next one begins, and the first tribe to have all seven members reach the end wins immunity." Chris explained in depth, and some of the contestants began sharing nervous expressions. "If you, for whatever reason, fall off the obstacle course, you must swim back to the beginning and try again. Does everyone understand?"

Chris' question was met with a chorus of approval, and so everyone got ready to start the challenge. Both tribes took a few minutes to decide the starting order, and after short discussion they had decided.

 **The Attackers' Order: Sasha, Jackie, Arianna, Griff, Rebekah, Miles and Scar.**

 **The Defenders' Order: Kevin, Connor, Zane, Brooke, Adam, Gabby and Oswald.**

As the first two contestants prepared themselves, Chris readied the klaxon. Both of them picked up their tightrope poles, with the former barely being able to lift up hers and breathing heavily throughout, while the latter picked up his quite easily. As they tried to ignore the burning sensations in their arm muscles, the klaxon suddenly went off loudly, startling them both.

However, they steadied themselves instantly and carefully stepped onto the narrow obstacle course. As soon as they began, both of them realised how tough it was to remain on the skinny beam while also holding a heavy tightrope pole, and instantaneously Sasha lost her strength and let go of the tightrope pole before losing her balance and stumbling off herself, tumbling into the water with a loud crash.

Up until that moment, Kevin had managed to keep his balance and was a few feet ahead of Sasha. However, the sound of Sasha falling startled him and caused him to slip on the wet beam and also fall. However, he managed to keep a grip on his hefty tightrope pole and thus he made it back to the obstacle course before Sasha said, who was desperately searching in the tide for hers and hoping that it hadn't been washed away.

Kevin, knowing he had to be fast so he wasn't startled again, quickened his pace and manoeuvred quickly around the course, making sure to be careful so he wouldn't fall and have to swim all the way back to the beginning. Sasha, on the other hand, had finally found one of the sandbags and was desperately trying to drag it back to the shore so she could climb back onto the beam.

Kevin continued to weave in-between the twists and turns of the obstacle course, keeping his focus on his balance and his feet, making sure he didn't slip. As he reached the end and put his tightrope pole down with a sigh of relief, he turned back around and waved to let Connor know that he was ready.

Unfortunately for the Attackers, when Connor started walking along the beam, Sasha had only just began her second try. Those at the beach could easily see from close up that Sasha was struggling intensely due to her lack of strength, as her arms were shaking violently. Despite this, Sasha tried to take her mind off the heavy weight and focus on the pathway ahead of her.

Due to Sasha's concentration, she actually managed to overtake Connor who, as he had a head start, wanted to go slow and steady to make sure he didn't run too fast and end up slipping and falling. Right when Sasha was at the end of the pathway, a sudden large wave washed over the narrow beam, causing her to let out a cry of distress as she fell forward.

As she did so, the members of her tribe groaned in irritation and hopelessness, but luckily for them Sasha had fallen forward onto the platform, securing her victory. As Jackie quickly picked up her tightrope pole, struggling slightly, the wave which caused Sasha to fall also affected Connor greatly. He tried to regain his balance after the water shifted it, but he was focusing too much on the tightrope pole and not putting enough concentration into his balance itself, and thus he couldn't help slipping and crashing into the water.

As Connor swam back as fast as he could, which was quite slow as he had to lug the tightrope pole with two sandbags attached to it back with him, Jackie made the most of her advantage and used her flexible body to step forward carefully, keeping her balance stable expertly. Within seconds, Jackie had reached the end and Sasha congratulated her warmly. As he watched this, Kevin glanced at Connor nervously, willing him to speed up nervously.

Connor coughed and spluttered as he dragged his tightrope pole painfully back onto the shore, heaving up water which he swallowed while he swam. As he lay on the beach, attempting to recover his strength, Arianna picked up her tightrope pole and wasted no time by quickly speeding along the narrow beam, using her flexible, agile body to regain her balance whenever she began to stumble. She was about halfway through by the time Connor even started walking across again.

Connor made sure to focus on his feet this time, as that was the cause for his stumble and the extreme loss of time. Knowing that if he fell again he would likely lose any chance of ever catching up, he was more determined than ever and whenever he felt like he was about to fall he tried his hardest to stay steady. Luckily, it worked, and even though Arianna had finished her turn and Griff was halfway by the time Connor reached the end, he still did and for that he was happy.

Zane knew he had to make up a lot of time and as he hurried along the narrow beam, Griff worriedly took slow steps forward, the thought of falling into the water making him feel quite nauseous. A cold wind suddenly blew past, causing the tightrope poles to wobble up and down in the air. However, both managed to stay on their feet and both reached the end without falling in once, with Griff making it to the platform a few minutes before Zane did, causing the Attackers to still be in the lead.

Rebekah, the antepenultimate contestant for the Attackers was slightly less agile compared to the others, but she still made up good time and made sure she was stepping carefully. Unfortunately for her, Brooke was much faster and thus she had passed her within just a few seconds, speeding along the obstacle course expertly and placing her feet carefully to make sure she didn't make a mistake.

Within just a couple of minutes, Brooke had reached the end while Rebekah was only about halfway through the course, allowing Adam to begin. As Adam carefully but quickly made his way along the twisty, narrow beam, the Attackers all felt a pang of worry as they realised that he was starting to catch up to Rebekah, and if he passed her they would lose their lead to the Defenders.

Luckily for them, at the last moment, disaster struck for the Defenders. Just as Adam was about to pass Rebekah, he began to lose focus on the balance of the tightrope pole which began to tilt to the left side. Before he could recover, the tightrope pole was already partly in the water and he slipped, landing in the water. With dismay, the members of the Defenders began to lose hope as Rebekah finished and Miles began.

Adam swam back as fast as he could, using his great physical strength to tow the tightrope pole back faster than most would. However, it was beginning to be too late for the Defenders as they were already behind a person and Miles was almost halfway through the course and showing no signs of weakness.

As Adam dragged himself back onto the beach and stood back on the narrow beam, which was drenched in water now from all the waves and other contestants who competed before him, his tribe members began shouting words of encouragement to him. Adam, due to his ignorance, felt annoyed rather than encouraged and ignored them as he continued to walk on the obstacle course.

However, due to his fall the first time, he was now more alert than ever and thus he was walking incredibly slowly, and when he looked up for just a second he was shocked to see Miles stepping off the obstacle course at the end and onto the platform. Hoping that whoever was last for the Attackers was slow, Adam continued to focus on his own game.

Unfortunately for him, the only person left for the Attackers was the one who was the fastest and most agile.

Scar.

Within seconds, he had sped past Adam and reached the end without even looking at the beam below him, as if he knew exactly where to go. Adam and the rest of the Defenders stared in shock as all hope diminished into nothing, and just as they were thinking that Scar hopped off the platform to join his other six tribe members who all congratulated him warmly before exploding into cheers of joy.

"And with Scar's amazing performance, he has secured the victory for the Attackers! Congratulations, the seven of you are safe from today's bonfire!" Chris announced, and with a growl of anger Adam threw his tightrope pole into the ocean, watching as it sunk down and landed on the sea bed below which was only a metre or so underneath where he was standing.

After that, Adam swam back to the beach to meet his tribe members who hadn't had a chance to compete. They waited for the ones who did make it to the platform, and then all seven of them commiserated each other sadly, realising with utter dismay that they had lost both the reward challenge and the immunity. To make it worse, Chris began to announce it to everybody.

"Defenders, I'll be seeing you at the bonfire ceremony tonight. One of you will be eliminated by your fellow peers. Attackers, you may go back to camp. Defenders, head down the pathway leading to the bonfire which some of you know only too well at this point." Chris said with a sigh.

After exchanging short farewells, the two tribes separated; the Attackers, the victors, heading happily back to their tribe camp, while the Defenders trudged down the pathway of danger, all of them knowing full well that they would be heading back down that pathway with only six people instead of the original seven they began with two days ago.

 **The Bonfire**

The seven members of the Defenders; Oswald, Kevin, Gabby, Adam, Brooke, Connor and Zane slowly and despondently wandered into the bonfire area, which was lit up with torches, all of them wanting nothing more than to be anywhere else at that moment. They all thought about their double challenge loss, all of them slightly ashamed of themselves as they all knew they could have done better in either the reward challenge, the immunity challenge or both.

As they all took their places, tensions high, Chris stared at them from the other side of a flourishing, crackling campfire. It remained like this for a few moments, before Chris began to talk, turning to Brooke.

"Do you like your new tribe, Brooke? You clearly can't be very united if you lost both your reward and your immunity challenge." Chris pointed out, which only served to dishearten them even further. Brooke thought for a moment before she responded.

"Of course it's disheartening that we lost, even frustrating to some extent, as it always is to lose a challenge. Trust me, I should know. But...I believe the sole reason is because we're all missing our friends and allies who're on the other tribe and we're just worried about them. I'm sure we'll all work together much better in the future." Brooke said hopefully with a reassuring smile.

In response to this, Gabby made an obnoxious retching sound to Zane, who smirked and stifled a laugh. Brooke shot extreme daggers at Gabby, while Kevin sighed and rolled his eyes at his past ally's petty childishness. Chris noticed this action, and decided to bring it up.

"Gabby, you seem to disagree." He mentioned, and Gabby's eyes gleamed with mischief as she smiled. "Care to explain?"

"Of course I disagree, Chris." Gabby said openly and honestly, before standing up, taking a few steps forward, then quickly turning around and folding her arms, narrowing her eyes at everyone. "The reason for why we lost is nothing to do with teamwork. Not in the slightest. At the end of the day, everyone joined this show to win the grand prize, and that's it. Loyalties will only last long enough until the person themselves feels at risk, which is when they'll begin to betray their allies who they seemed to care so much about before. To be honest with you, Chris, I don't care at all for anyone on my tribe, and from now on I'll only be trying to win the challenges for myself and nobody else."

"If she makes it to another challenge." Connor whispered spitefully to Oswald. However, his ally and friend didn't response; he was staring suspiciously at Gabby, feeling slightly suspicious and ever so worried but not acting.

"I see." Chris said simply in response, before turning to look at everybody at once. "It's time to start the voting. Adam, will you please go first?"

Adam slowly stood up and walked down the pathway that led to the voting box, everybody's eyes trailing him as he did so.

Adam went up to vote.

Brooke went up to vote.

"Let's hope I can get through an elimination with no worries at all and everything going as planned! Unfortunately, it hasn't happened much so far..."

Zane went up to vote.

Kevin went up to vote.

"You asked for this. You both did, but you deserve this more."

Oswald went up to vote.

"Something's wrong here...I can feel it..."

Connor went up to vote.

Gabby went up to vote.

"They're a bunch of puppets, all of them...and I'm the one pulling the strings."

As Gabby sat back down, an innocent look on her face, Chris departed momentarily to retrieve the voting box before returning within a few seconds. As he slowly removed the lid and pulled out the first vote, unfolding it, the seven contestants in the tribe exchanged nervous, worried and suspicious glances. Then, Chris read out the name on the first slip of paper.

"Gabby." He said.

He pulled out the next one.

"Adam." Then the next one. "Gabby. Two votes Gabby, one vote Adam, four votes left."

He pulled out the fourth vote in the box.

"Gabby. Three votes for Gabby, one vote for Adam, three votes left. If Gabby receives only one more vote, then she'll be eliminated."

"Are you sure you're plan is going to work?" Zane whispered quietly to Gabby, beginning to feel nervous that she had made a mistake and accidentally sealed her fate. To this, Gabby gave Zane a smile with a slightly mocking look in it.

"My plans never fail." She replied obnoxiously, before turning back to Chris. "Just wait and see."

"The next vote is for Gabby. So is the next vote. The final vote is also for Gabby." Chris said quickly, and Gabby's mouth dropped open in shock. "Gabby, you have been eliminated with five votes. Adam, you're safe with two, and the rest of you don't have a single vote."

As Connor, Brooke and Kevin gave a sigh of joy and happiness, happy that was over with, and a flash of relief crossed Adam's eyes despite him physically revealing nothing, Oswald appeared to be the only person in his alliance who didn't seem overjoyed with the result. In fact, he seemed even tenser than before; his body stiffened up, and his eyes flickered around everywhere. The result of that vote was far too easy to be it.

However, it seemed to be so. Gabby had made a miscalculation, and it had secured her elimination.

"W...what?!" Gabby exclaimed, before anger shot through her like a bullet and she furiously glared at Brooke and Kevin, but her fury was focused mostly on the latter. "You traitors! You awful, disgusting, horrible terrible traitors!"

"Gabby, you must leave immediately. Please go out with your pride intact." Chris warned her subliminally. Gabby turned to him, fury in her eyes, before she seemed to calm down slightly, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever." Gabby muttered, before folding her arms and turning to a shocked Zane. "I'm sorry. It looks like I messed up, and now you're on your own against an alliance of five...is what I would say, if I was actually going to be eliminated tonight."

At this, many of the contestants gasped, not knowing what she meant, while Oswald felt like kicking himself for underestimating Gabby.

As everyone was feeling more confused than ever, Gabby slowly reached into her shorts pocket and pulled out a hidden immunity idol, before handing it to Chris with a devious, triumphant smirk on her face. As everyone watched, they began to feel horrified and full of despair as they realised that all of them had been deceived by just one girl.

"My plans never fail." Gabby said to Zane, grinning.

"Well, it appears that Gabby has played the final hidden immunity idol yet to be used, and thus all of her votes will be negated. Therefore, the only contestant left with any votes whatsoever...is Adam, with two votes." Chris revealed. "I'm sorry, but you must leave immediately. It's impossible for you to have an immunity idol, so I shall not mention the prospect."

Adam stood up and glared furiously at Gabby, before taking a few threatening steps towards her. He reached her and stared at her angrily, but just when everybody thought he was going to do something he turned around and left quickly, having been completely shocked by his sudden elimination.

The six members remaining in the Defenders had no idea what to think about this, but all of them slowly managed to find their feet and drag themselves out of the bonfire area, all of them realising that surprises were literally around every corner in this competition and none of them were ever truly safe until an elimination was over.

 **Final Confessional: Adam Johnston**

 **"...Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. In the first couple of days of me being on this new tribe, I've been instantly eliminated. Frankly, I can't say I'm too upset. Everyone in this game is pathetic and useless, and I haven't taken a liking to any of them to tell the truth. I won't miss any of them...and if I had to choose...I wouldn't want any of them to win. Goodbye."**

 **...**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones (The Sea Tribe)**

 **19th Place: Olivia Haas (The Sea Tribe)**

 **18th Place: Dale Montgomery Lawson (The Sky Tribe)**

 **17th Place: Hudson Ewing (The Sky Tribe)**

 **16th Place: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine (The Serenity Tribe)**

 **15th Place: Ingrid Sanders (The Sand Tribe)**

 **14th Place: Adam Johnston (The Sky Tribe & The Defenders)**

 **...**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I would greatly appreciate it if you left a review! I spent two weeks non-stop writing this, and I'm surprised at how time-consuming it really was!**

 **Anyway, thank you all for reading and hopefully reviewing, and I'll see you in July/August for the next update of Total Drama: Eracy Island!**

 **Bye for now! ^^**


	12. Note 3

Hey everyone!

This is just a quick update to tell you all that I've finished all my exams (after what feels like FOREVER) so now I'm free to do pretty much whatever I want until September.

So basically I have wayyyyy more time now to focus on this story! ^^

From this point up until September, chapters of this story will hopefully will be released much more frequently.

And, to make sure that I don't get lazy and write slowly, I've set a deadline of **the 10th of July** for the next chapter to be released. It doesn't mean the chapter will be released EXACTLY on this date, for example if I finish earlier then I'll upload it earlier, but the **10th of July** is the absolute latest time for the next chapter to be uploaded!

Thank you all so much for being supportive throughout the story's run and I hope you're there when the next chapter comes out!

Bye for now! ^^


	13. Chapter Eight: Memory and Manipulation

**Hey everyone! It's been AGES since the last chapter of this story came out, and I'm so happy to finally be back to writing it! After what feels like SO LONG all my exams are finally finished! Thank you all for being so patient during these couple of months! :) Now that my exams are over with, progress on this story should be much faster until September when it'll likely slow down again. But I explained all this in the Note chapter before this, so let's get straight to it! ^^**

 **And in response to Enigma, thank you so much for asking! ^^ My exams went quite well, not as good as I hoped they would, but good enough I think. ^^ Thanks again for asking! :)**

 **Thank you all for reading, please leave a review, and I hope you all enjoy! :)**

 **Also, thank you all so much for reviewing last chapter, I absolutely love reading what everyone thought of every chapter, it's definitely the most exciting part of writing this story. ^^**

 **...**

 **The Defenders** ** _(Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Brooke and Gabby)_**

After another intense, suspenseful and nerve-wracking elimination, the six remaining members of the Defenders were walking back to their tribe's camp from the bonfire area, in their little groups, showing evidently who was with who in terms of alliances in the team. All of them were mostly silent, except for the occasional hushed, forced conversation, all of them tired and unable to retract their minds from strategy.

Gabby and Zane were walking together, ahead of the other four. While Gabby appeared to be completely calm, relaxed and tranquil, as if the elimination was just a bug under her shoe, Zane, on the other hand, was truly affected by the events. He was evidently nervous and jittery; he continuously glanced over his shoulder every few seconds in worry, unable to avert his eyes from the new four-person alliance of Oswald, Connor, Brooke and Kevin who were all walking together.

Gabby had noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Zane constantly glancing back, which didn't bother her at first. However, when she noticed Zane doing it at least twice a minute, an irritated sigh escaped her lips, already growing sick of his worry. After suffering another few minutes of it, she could no longer take it.

"Do you have a twitch or something?" Gabby muttered, irritation and exasperation clear in her tone. Zane glanced at her, surprised at her sudden frustration.

"N-no..." He stammered, too surprised to manufacture a coherent sentence in response.

"Then why do you keep looking back at everybody? They're not gonna transform into skeletons, or disappear into thin air!" Gabby said sarcastically in an over the top manner, rolling her eyes. Zane stared at her, remaining silent for a few seconds as he thought about what to say.

"Gabby, I think your play at the elimination was really clever, and it did eliminate one of our enemies which is really good, but even though that happened, we're still in a bad position. A really bad position." Zane said seriously, a glint of worry in his eyes. "We still have the exact same amount of enemies, thanks to Kevin's betrayal, and now there aren't any more people to persuade or manipulate, because they're all in one alliance! We're completely stuck!"

"Oh, Zane, _anybody_ can be manipulated!" Gabby told him with a playful giggle, completely ignoring his fear and making no attempt to reassure him. "You just have to be smart enough to be able to manipulate anyone, and luckily for you, one of us is."

"What...? How can you stay so calm and relaxed? No matter how much you try to ignore it, the two of us are in the minority, the _vast_ minority, in this tribe. If we lose only one more time, then you might be eliminated!" Zane exclaimed, his voice growing louder as he got more and more nervous. To this, Gabby gave him a sigh, in an almost disappointed manner.

"Zane, I have to admit, you don't have many faults, but a definite one is that you're pessimistic. You need to start looking ahead at the bright side more, and focusing less on the thunderclouds behind you!" Gabby tutored her ally, when suddenly a mysterious, devious smirk slithered onto her face like a snake. "Also, I'm not stupid, Zane. I know full well I'm in the minority in this pathetic tribe. I also know that if we lose again, I'll be eliminated because I'm way more disliked than you and I'm also the bigger threat. But that doesn't change the fact that we still have two whole days to persuade just one person onto our side. If we do that, it'll split the tribe. We'll share the control in this team."

"It's going to be impossible to persuade anyone! Kevin won't rejoin us because he's probably frightened of what we'll do to him, Brooke betrayed us instantly after we asked her to join, so she won't come back, and Oswald and Connor are conjoined at the hip, so it would be impossible to bring just one, and they're the leaders of their alliance! All of them are in a good position, so none of them would ever come to us!" Zane snapped, beginning to lose his patience with Gabby's egotistical, omniscient attitude. As Gabby widened her eyes in amusement, Zane took a deep breath. "Are you even bothered that Kevin betrayed us? You don't seem to be."

Gabby froze for a second, before slowly turning her head towards Zane, her face darkening.

"If I didn't care...if I just let it slide over my head, like some bimbo...then I would _deserve_ to be eliminated. Anybody who allows an act of betrayal to pass without thinking of some sort of revenge doesn't deserve to be _alive_ , never mind part of this competition." Gabby said, almost through gritted teeth, showing that she was truly affected by Kevin's betrayal and that she hated him with every fibre of her being. "Of course I care about Kevin's betrayal, Zane. It's all I've been thinking about since the elimination. He'll get what's coming to him...oh, he will...but not yet."

"What do you mean? If anything, we need to act now! Do you realise how bad of a position we're in right now? Only two of us are left in this alliance, Gabby, and if we don't act drastically one of us are going to end up eliminated, leaving the one who was spared alone and vulnerable, who'll inevitably follow the next time our team loses!" Zane ranted, the fear evident on his face. However, Gabby was unaffected and she only rolled her eyes.

"You know, Zane, you're lucky I'm willing to align with you and have been for this long. Let's face it; if you weren't with me, you'd have been eliminated a long time ago." Gabby said cruelly, the amusement gone from her face, having been replaced with unnecessary anger and hatred burning in her eyes. "You have the worst mind strategically I've ever come to know, and you never, ever think before you speak. If you weren't with me, you loud mouth would have got you on a boat headed for home a long time ago. I mean, come on! You haven't even thought about how valuable Kevin still is to us; you only think of him as a target we have to eliminate!"

"Kevin _is_ someone we have to eliminate." Zane retorted, his voice strong and confident, betraying no signs of fear of Gabby. He raised his voice. "He _betrayed_ us! Someone like that shouldn't be kept in the competition, under any circumstances!"

"You're right." Gabby said casually, her expression changing from angry and irrational to completely neutral, as if her outburst just a few seconds ago never happened. Despite this, there was a tinge of amusement in her eyes; she enjoyed watching Zane grow increasingly more worried and nervous. It helped her to keep him reined in and under her control, thus resulting in him looking to her more often for answers, and so losing his sense of individuality. "Kevin does need to be eliminated, that's a given. I want nothing more than for that to happen, and I'll make sure it does, but Kevin still has a positive aspect to his personality that we can take advantage of while he's still in the competition."

"What do you mean?" Zane asked, completely confused and perplexed. To this, a small, gentle smirk began to dance on Gabby's lips.

"I'm talking about Kevin's personality in general. His weak-minded, cowardly, pathetic personality. If we use this correctly, it can help us to gain control over him, and because he's so frail we only need to push him a little before he does whatever we want him to do." Gabby replied, smirking throughout, as Zane listened carefully. However, he didn't understand, and let her know it.

"I'm not sure I get what you're talking about. Can you elaborate a bit?" Zane asked, his eyes creasing in confusion. In response, Gabby obnoxiously gave him a sigh, letting her irritation shine through for a moment.

"Do I have to spell everything out for you?!" Gabby exclaimed, her angry eyes almost burning through Zane's skull. Before her ally could respond, Gabby continued, not wanting to get side-tracked and distracted. "Because of all the times we harassed and made fun of Kevin while he was part of our alliance, we reduced his personality to a fearful, frightened, easily intimidated empty shell of what it used to be. So, if we're only nice and friendly to him a handful of times, Kevin will be so shocked by this that it'll instantly result in him growing immediate trust for the two of us again, which is exactly what we want, as it may end up with him rejoining our alliance.

"It'll be easier to persuade Kevin to come back to us if we talk about Rebekah, too. We can tell him about how shocked and ashamed she'd be of him if she found out that Gabby and Zane, two of her own allies, were eliminated because of her only other ally's doings, and not only her ally, but her boyfriend, who she trusted to keep her safe always. It'll help to encourage the waste of space, love obsessed weirdo to stay loyal to us. Anyway, we'll be nice to him up until after our next elimination, in which hopefully he'll have voted out either Brooke, Oswald or Connor. There'll be a tie vote, which will decide who'll be in control of the tribe from that point until the merge, whenever that may be."

"Then, if we continue being nice to him until he trusts us completely, and when we're in a good position in the game in which we can afford it, we'll finally get our revenge on the traitor by blindsiding him. This'll prove that traitors never get away with their actions when they cross us, not under my eye anyway." Gabby finished off her thoroughly thought out plan, and when she saw the shocked expression on Zane's face, a smirk rose to her lips as she understood that her plan was excellently constructed, as she thought it was anyway.

"...Was this your plan the entire time?" Zane asked quietly after he got over his initial astonishment. "Have you had this planned from the start, and that's why you've been so horrible to Kevin?"

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me, Zane." Gabby replied with a wink, grinning at him. Zane didn't know how to answer, instead staring at her, his shock rising by the second.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"Of course I planned it from the start! Why would I suddenly start being cruel and horrible to Kevin if I didn't have anything to play on after that? Honestly, I'm starting to consider dumping Zane from my alliance after I get in a better position - he's so idiotic and he doesn't have any plans for the future, simply relying on me all the time! However, unfortunately, I need him right now if I want my plan to succeed." Gabby muttered, folding her arms as she looked up at the ceiling of the confessional. "Sometimes I wish there were cleverer people in this game, just so I'd actually have some competition! This contest is just too easy, and soon I'll be the winner, just you watch."**

 **...**

Meanwhile, further back on the pathway, Kevin, Oswald, Brooke and Connor were walking together, quite a few metres behind Gabby and Zane. As they walked, Kevin couldn't help looking ahead at Gabby and Zane discussing in hushed whispers, and a small, relieved smile crossed his lips, ecstatic with his new predicament. As he was so overcome with joy and relief, he decided to express it once more, and he turned to Oswald, Connor and Brooke, his smile widening.

"I have to say, guys, thank you so much again for letting me join the alliance. I'm so, so grateful that you all took me in and that I won't have to suffer Gabby and Zane's harassment ever again, as long as I live, thanks to the three of you." Kevin said quietly, but the gratitude was evident in his tone.

"We're happy to have you, Kevin. All of us. Hopefully, we'll all stay good friends until the merge, as when it eventually comes around we'll all need to be strong and united if we hope to survive against everyone else, who will definitely be trying to do the same." Brooke said with a smile, giving Kevin a nod, and as she spoke the recesses of her mind reminded her of her first true ally, Miles, and she realised with an uncomfortable notion that she still wanted to be aligned with him, even though she hadn't talked to him in days. Beginning to feel nervous, Brooke knew that she was unsure about who she would actually stick with when it came down to it, but for obvious reasons she kept these thoughts to herself.

"I'm happy to have you in the alliance too! I always like to meet new people, and nothing makes me happier than helping to save you from that awful pair you were conscripted into working with." Connor said, shuddering slightly as he thought about Gabby and Zane, before he turned to Oswald. "You're happy as well, right, Oswald?"

However, Oswald, unlike the other three, was not in a chatty mood whatsoever. He ignored Connor's question, too consumed with watching Gabby and Zane talking quietly, with the latter occasionally glancing behind at them. Concerned by his silence, Connor shared a worried expression with Brooke and Kevin.

"Oswald, is anything wrong?" Connor asked quietly, trying to hide the sudden fear from his voice. Oswald, after staying silent for a few more seconds, eventually turned to his alliance, his eyes flashing with thought.

"I'm wary of Gabby. She may be in the minority, but even so, she's still an incredible threat, more so than you may think. She managed to evade elimination even though she didn't have the votes to protect herself with, and I have a feeling that she'll pull it off again. So, from now on, we should keep a close eye on her to make sure she isn't trying to pull any strings that could keep her in this competition." Oswald informed his alliance quietly, looking at each of them in turn while he spoke and making sure he didn't leave anybody out.

Feeling worried about this, Brooke, Kevin and Connor all nodded their consent, agreeing to make watching Gabby a top priority as they continued to stare at her talking to Zane, undoubtedly stirring up a new, devious plan.

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"You don't understand how truly happy I am to be part of this alliance, with Brooke, Connor and Oswald...but that doesn't stop me feeling worried about Gabby. I know how awful she can be...how manipulative, deceitful, dishonest, treacherous...and the worst part is, she doesn't care. She doesn't gave a single thought to how much her actions affect other people for the worse. She never thinks about what could happen to other people due to what she's done, and that makes her incredibly dangerous. She's like a wild, untrained horse that can never be subdued. She would do absolutely whatever was necessary to stay in this game as long as possible and win, and truthfully, that scares me." Kevin mused, looking down at the ground, his eyes filled with an empty fear, as if he had gotten used to the intimidation his ex-ally had given him, and he didn't know how to escape from it. "Even though she's in the minority in the tribe, it doesn't stop me feeling worried or even help me in the slightest...I'm still worried that she'll somehow manage to weasel her way into our alliance, and turn us all against each other..."**

 **...**

 **Day** **13**

 **The Attackers _(Miles, Scar, Griff, Sasha, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie)_**

Sasha trod through the woods, alone, walking amongst the trees delicately and carefully making sure she didn't trip or stumble on any roots or bushes that may be in her way. The birds were tweeting beautifully in the trees, and the gentle sunlight from above cast a glow on the ground Sasha was walking on, but her traumatised mind wasn't focused on that at all, as it usually would be if she hadn't been thrown into a competition filled with traitors and liars.

She was thinking about Rebekah, her friend turned enemy, and as much as she tried, even going on the walk she was currently on to get her mind off it, she couldn't stop thinking about her and what she did to her. With a sigh, Sasha realised that her relaxing walk to clear her head of the previous few days' events wasn't working at all. As her mind kept bringing up Rebekah's betrayal every few seconds, Sasha felt a lump grow in her throat and her eyes begin to fill with tears.

Even though Sasha held a burning, passionate hate for Rebekah, and whenever she thought about what she did to her it filled her with an intense, hot anger, she couldn't help feeling doubtful whenever her mind drifted to the only source of justice; eliminating her. Sasha hated herself for it, but for some reason, she held herself back whenever she thought about voting out Rebekah for some reason, even after what she did to her.

Despite her continuous doubt, whenever Sasha thought about the fact that Rebekah was responsible for Ingrid's, her best friend's, elimination, anger filled up her drained body all over again, creating an endless cycle of hate, doubt and tears.

As Sasha trekked through the woods, now having forgotten all about concentrating on the path ahead of her and making sure she didn't fall, she soon found herself looking for something in the competition that actually made her happy, or comforted her slightly, as so far everything about it just caused her to feel distraught and upset. After a couple of minutes of hard thinking, and when Sasha slowly began to lose hope, her mind stumbled across Miles.

A small smile rose to Sasha's lips as she remembered the innocent conversation she shared with him a couple of days ago, when they discussed whether they preferred watching the ocean or the sky. As she continued to think about it, Sasha realised that the conversation with Miles was the first time she felt truly at peace in the competition, with no fear or worry of being betrayed, shouted at or lied to, since her first proper conversation with Ingrid, when they became best friends. Upon thinking about this, her tired mind grew deluded, as she began to believe that perhaps it was destiny, and maybe Miles was supposed to be her new best friend, her true best friend.

However, her smile at Miles being her new best friend slowly began to fade when the memories of Rebekah's warnings slowly resurfaced to the top of her mind and thoughts. All of a sudden, the trust and friendliness she felt for Miles vanished, and was replaced with doubt and fear at placing her faith in him. As she began to feel panicked, Sasha desperately tried to calm herself down by reminding herself that Rebekah was a liar, a manipulator and a traitor, but she couldn't help thinking that Rebekah was actually telling the truth when she was warning her about Miles, and maybe she should approach him with caution.

As she continued to think this over, again and again, her emotions conflicting heavily with her damaged logic, Sasha found herself entering an empty clearing, which was a great contrast to the huge cluster of nature she was surrounded by for a full hour during her slow walk. The clearing was entirely empty of bushes, trees and animals, except for one thick, tall tree standing directly in the centre, as if it was placed there artificially, its trunk stretching across a quarter of the whole clearing.

Sasha, due to her increasingly worried and fearful thoughts that were controlling her attention, simply ignored this as she quickly walked by, walking past the tree and the clearing in about five seconds. However, just as she was about to leave the clearing, something larger than her landed in front of her out of absolutely nowhere, startling her and causing her to let out a scream of absolute shock and terror, believing that she was about to be murdered in the middle of the forest with nobody around to witness it or save her.

Her fright caused her to lose control of her actions, and she ended up stumbling on her own feet and hitting the ground hard, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her leg which caused her to cry out even more. Sasha looked up in fright, and realised all of a sudden that there wasn't actually a murderer in front of her, but Scar. Despite this, her fright didn't diminish in the slightest, actually heightening even further. She watched, keeping her eyes glued to Scar as he walked past her casually, as if nothing happened. Scar didn't even look at her, only glancing down at her for half a second before raising his vision again to the path ahead of him.

Sasha continued to watch him for a few seconds, as he got further and further away from her, until she decided quickly that she didn't want to go for a walk anymore, too shaken up by what happened just a few seconds ago. She quickly scrambled to her feet, making sure she didn't slip, and started heading back the way she came. After a few seconds, she quickened her pace to catch up to Scar, desperate to speak to anyone to have even the smallest chance of taking her mind off the Rebekah situation.

After just a few long strides, she had reached Scar, and she slowed down, walking next to him in silence for a while before realising he had no intention of starting a conversation, meaning she would have to do it herself.

"I h-have to admit, um, Scar, you...you really gave me a scare just now." Sasha said slowly and quietly, trying to sound as cheerful as possible but not doing a very good job at it. "I probably w-won't sleep for a few days now!"

Sasha giggled, obviously intending for her previous sentence to be a joke, but when she saw that Scar wasn't even reacting to it, never mind smiling, her laugh slowly trailed off into silence, as the atmosphere remained for the next few minutes. Sasha looked around at her surroundings, trying to find something that she could spin into a conversation, but all she saw around her were trees and bushes. Suddenly regretting talking to Scar in the first place, she looked down at the ground, her cheeks glowing red in embarrassment and awkwardness.

Suddenly, just as Sasha lost all intention of speaking to Scar, his eyes flicked to her and spoke, will staring at her out of the corner of his eye, keeping his head facing forward.

"You should always be alert; you never know what's going to jump out at you. Maybe I helped you to be more aware, and it'll save your life in the future." Scar spoke darkly, his eyes now trained on Sasha's face, which grew increasingly more frightened as he spoke. However, there was also another expression on Sasha's face; depression.

"You're right. You also never know when somebody's...gonna betray you. It can happen out of nowhere." Sasha mumbled, her voice evidently showing that over the last few days she had been drained of all her emotions, and was now close to that of an anxious, empty shell of what she used to be.

She looked at the ground as she talked, and continued watching the floor beneath her as she waited, in the silence, for a response from Scar. After waiting about ten seconds, Sasha, growing uncomfortable, looked to her right to see if Scar hadn't heard her, but was surprised to see nobody standing there. Glancing ahead, she noticed Scar far in the distance, almost out of her sight. With a small gasp, she realised that Scar must have sped up just to get away from her.

"Are you okay?!" She shouted, surprised at the confidence in her voice, expecting it to crack or tremble, or for her to stutter and embarrass herself as she always did. Scar kept walking for a few seconds, and Sasha began to think that he didn't hear her, or that he ignored her completely, but all of a sudden he stopped dead in his tracks, frightening her slightly. After remaining like this for a short time, Scar's head snapped around to look at the startled, timid girl.

"What you said was correct, Sasha." Scar said, emotion vacant from his eyes and voice. "You truly never know when somebody's going to betray you. Because of that, I prefer not to get close to anyone, so I don't have to suffer the experience of being betrayed and abandoned again. I've learnt my lesson, and due to that I've willed myself never to trust anyone again."

"...Have you been betrayed in this game at all so far?" Sasha asked quietly and softly, feeling concerned for Scar as she knew full well what it felt like; finding out you had been betrayed felt like a hot, raw smack in the face that threatened to knock you to your knees.

Scar blatantly ignored her question, but Sasha observantly noticed his body stiffening up upon him hearing her enquiry. Knowing that he was uncomfortable, she tried to think of a way to relax him so he would open up to her easier.

"Um...i-if it helps, I was manipulated by someone...someone who I thought was my friend...so...I...I know what it feels like." Sasha revealed awkwardly, trying her hardest not to feel any emotions that could compel her into crying or growing upset, not wanting Scar to think of her as weak.

When he heard this, Scar slowly turned his head to look at Sasha, and for a moment the timid girl thought he was considering speaking to her, before a frown of doubt crossed his face and he quickly turned away again. Sasha, knowing it must be hard for him, gingerly and nervously grabbed his hand, feeling him flinch slightly.

"It's okay, Scar. Y-you can trust me. I...I know what it feels like to be betrayed, and...it isn't a good feeling at all. It makes you feel worthless, and not good enough...and nobody should ever have to know the feeling." Sasha spoke, her voice beginning confident but then slowly reducing to a whisper as she felt her eyes prick with tears.

She furiously blinked them away, annoyed at her weakness, and looked at Scar, expecting him to be relaxed or maybe even flash her a smile, even if it was a small one, but what he actually did shocked her completely. As soon as she glanced at him, he briskly, almost violently, tugged his hand away from Sasha's, leaving her gripping the air in confusion. Sasha proceeded to take a step back, feeling her cheeks burning red from embarrassment.

"I was betrayed early on in the game." Scar replied hastily and bluntly, avoiding eye contact with Sasha, instead staring at a bird that was hopping from leaf to leaf on a nearby bush. "I was already wary and cautious of people, but after that, I've become completely distrusting of everyone I've stumbled across in this competition. I'm cold and distant, and I have no wish to speak to anybody unless it's an absolute necessity. I rarely come down from my tree; only when a challenge is about to begin, and I hope every time that everyone will just leave me alone."

Sasha couldn't help but beam, overjoyed that Scar had spoken to her in a sentence that was long than three or four words, but immediately after the smile vanished and was replaced with a concern smile, worry dancing in her eyes.

"But...a-aren't you worried that you'll be eliminated? I-I mean...i-if you spend all your time and alone, and you don't try to work with anybody...it's really, really unlikely that you'll win...don't you want to w-win?" Sasha mused quietly and slowly, hoping she didn't come across as rude, not wanting to irritate him and cause him to turn her away again.

"Were you listening to a thing I said just now?! Surprising, considering you're taking a weird interest in my life." Scar suddenly snapped at Sasha, shocking and scaring her as only a second ago he was completely calm and composed.

As Sasha stared at him in fright, Scar's grimace quickly transformed back into his regular, solemn expression that showed no emotion, as if he never acted out in the first place. While Sasha's cheeks burned even hotter in shame, her eyes directed at the ground, there was an awkward silence that took place for a few seconds, in which Sasha quickly began to regret bothering to speak to Scar, wishing she just stayed on her own as everyone else was better off, without her around. Just as Sasha was about to explode into tears, Scar began to speak again, shocking her and causing her to glance up.

"After I was betrayed, I've become far too suspicious of others to possibly join or create an alliance. I would rather just stay on my own, knowing there's no chance of me being betrayed, than put my trust into someone and end up having it dashed." Scar slowly explained, emotion and feeling still heavily lacking on his face.

"I...I understand. I've a-also become q-quite wary and distrusting of people...but, l-luckily, I'm in a good alliance right now with a r-really nice person, and s-somebody else who I haven't m-met yet. I hope they're kind...I-I mean, they m-must be if my ally is willing to w-work with them..." Sasha mumbled, her nervous stutter now growing worse due to her feeling intimidated and frightened of Scar. However, as she thought about Miles, a small smile proceeded to grow on her lips. "My ally really is a good, true friend."

"You should forget about that now. The most trustworthy, kindest allies always end up being the most deceitful and treacherous, because they never reveal their true personality to you. Then, when they do show what they're really like, it hurts even more when they betray you." Scar said as soon as she stopped talking, a completely serious look in his eye that told Sasha he was being utterly honest. "Do you trust your new ally with every fibre in your being, Sasha? Do you believe they would sacrifice their lives for you, protect you with their own being?"

"..." Sasha stayed silent for a few seconds, staring at Scar, feeling new, overwhelming feelings of fright as pathways of intertwining possibilities raced through her head. She remembered Rebekah's warning, advising her desperately against working with Miles, but then she thought about her many friendly conversations, and how kind and genuine he was to her.

Sasha, feeling a spark of confidence growing in her stomach, looked at Scar directly in the eye.

"Yes."

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"You know...even though Scar is...quite frightening and intimidating...and he really, really scared me when he leapt down from that tree out of absolutely nowhere...I like him. For some reason, I feel that deep down, in the pit of my stomach, Scar is a truly friendly person who's just cold, ignorant and distant on the outside because he wants a friend, but he's worried about rejection. I'm...I'm willing to be that friend for him." Sasha said quietly and slowly, thinking about her words as she spoke them, confidence seeping softly into her voice with every passing second, a small smile growing on her lips. "I know exactly what it feels like to be lonely, and it isn't a good feeling. I want to help Scar...I want to be his friend...someone he can open up to."**

 **...**

Miles and Arianna sat in their alliance clearing together, on one of the two logs resting in the small area. The clearing was a little ways into the woods, and to get there it would take about a ten minute walk. It was possible to see the beach from where they sat, but it was heavily blocked by many thick, twisty brambles, bushes and trees, resulting in it only being possible to look at the beach through tiny cracks the vegetation missed out.

However, from the beach itself, it was impossible to see the clearing as the bushes and trees were thicker at the edge of the woods than in the middle, thus giving the alliance the opportunity to meet and discuss their plans in complete secrecy, without the worry of someone outside their alliance stumbling across them or secretly listening in. This gave them an advantage over the alliance of Griff, Rebekah and Jackie, who always met at the campfire, which was right out in the open.

Both Arianna and Miles were sitting in dead silence, the only sounds being the occasional song of a bird and the rustling of leaves as a breeze blew by. They had only spoken to each other once since beginning their alliance meeting, which had been progressing for over half an hour, and that was greeting each other as Arianna entered the secret clearing. Arianna, knowing she had to keep up her nice girl persona so Miles wouldn't get suspicious that her true personality was actually something completely different to what she portrayed, gave him a toothy, kind grin.

"I'm so happy we won the immunity challenge yesterday. The bonfire really scares me, and I get so relieved whenever my team wins and we get to avoid it, even if it's potentially only for two days." Arianna lied, as in reality she actually felt no emotion towards the bonfire ceremony except for anticipation. However, she spoke with false worry in her voice, and it seemed to convince Miles she was being genuine. "No matter how safe I may be, no matter how many people are in my alliance, I always feel worried that something will happen that'll wind up getting me eliminated."

"Arianna, there's no need to worry. As long as we keep our heads firmly in the game, protect each other no matter what, and focus our minds solely on strategy and not on emotions whatsoever, we should easily glide through to the merge. Many, almost all, of the contestants in this game are very weak-minded, and would leap at literally any opportunity to be part of a safe, secure alliance, without even taking into account if the people they're aligning with are even trustworthy and honest." Miles explained, logic coming through strongly in his voice as Arianna listened attentively, nodding at certain parts, genuinely agreeing with what he was saying. "We cannot be like that, no matter what. Even if we're stuck in a rut, we absolutely cannot agree to join an alliance just because they're giving us the opportunity; for all we know, they could just be using us for our vote and then would eliminate us after we've used up all our worth to them. We would be in a very unsafe position, and would have to agree with everything our allies said and place all our trust into them to have even the smallest hope of reaching the end, and I don't intend on playing the game by sitting on people's backs. I want to play by keeping my feet firmly on the ground."

"You're so clever, Miles." Arianna mused in false admiration, looking up at Miles with a sparkle of awe in her eyes, a smile on her lips. "I'm so happy and grateful to be in an alliance with you."

"You don't give yourself enough credit, Arianna." Miles said, also flashing her a smile, knowing full well that she was lying to his face in an attempt to manipulate him. He was playing her at her own game, and currently succeeding. "You think that you're not intelligent, but in reality you're actually very clever. I mean, if you weren't, you wouldn't be standing here now; you'd be watching at home."

"...How do you know I haven't just gotten through the game so far by jumping on whatever alliances have given me the offer? How do you know I haven't done any work myself? Maybe that's what I'm doing now; leaping onto your alliance, because I have no idea how to do anything myself in this competition and I need an alliance to get me by." Arianna suggested quietly and softly, a smirk dancing on her lips, her eyes trained on Miles as she spoke.

"..." Miles stayed silent for a few seconds, staring back at Arianna, both of them trying to see through their orbs of vision into their brains behind and work out what was going on; what strategies were forming and disintegrating. "I just know."

Arianna, confused and slightly suspicious, dropped her smirk, her lips contorting into a small frown while Miles' face remained neutral. For the next few seconds, they both fell silent, both of them simply staring at each other, willing the other silently to look away, but neither of them did. After about ten or fifteen seconds passed, the two forcefully looked away at the same time, feeling the atmosphere becoming drenched in tension.

"Anyway, even if we both have our heads firmly stuck in the game, it'll mean nothing if we don't secure the numbers. Even though we, thankfully, have Sasha on our side, which makes the situation a little easier for us, we still don't have the majority in the tribe, which could quickly grow into an issue if we don't do something about it soon.

Arianna, after staring at Miles for a moment, gave a small nod, almost in a begrudgingly manner, knowing they would soon have to have another tense, suspenseful conversation about who else they would let into their alliance. Arianna had to struggle not to give a groan at Miles upon hearing him suggest it, as both of them knew full well that nobody else in the tribe was suitable for their alliance, as Rebekah, Jackie and Scar didn't like Miles, and Griff didn't like Arianna, leaving them stuck with only Sasha, who had no qualms with either of them.

However, Arianna couldn't stop herself sighing slightly, believing Miles wouldn't realise. However, she underestimated Miles' observant nature, and he noticed the sigh as soon as it escaped his ally's lips. He looked at her, thinking about how to begin the conversation, knowing that Arianna would likely be difficult throughout.

"I know the two of us will most likely never agree on a suitable person to complete our alliance, at least while we're on this tribe, as the two of us have issues with everybody except Sasha and each other. However, for the time being, it's necessary that we put aside our differences with the others on the tribe, because we need to make a decision quickly. I know it's a worrying thing to say, and I may come across as rude, but if we both continue to act stubborn and arrogant with who we will and won't let into our alliance, then we'll undoubtedly run out of time and one of us will be eliminated, with the other following shortly afterwards." Miles told her, hoping his persuasive speech would drill into Arianna's ignorant, egotistical ears and she would actually listen to somebody else other than herself for a change. Thankfully, he noticed a look of concern graze over Arianna's usually calm, relaxed face. "But there's no need to worry. I have a plan."

"You do? What is it?" Arianna asked, slightly perplexed and surprised, as she herself hadn't thought of a plan to remedy the issue. With a pang of worry, she began to believe that Miles may actually be cleverer than her, and thus better at the game in general.

"We'll let Sasha decide. That way, neither of us will be getting exactly what we want, meaning no tension or conflict will start between us, as the decision will be left up to our only other ally." Miles explained his train of thought, while Arianna listened curiously. "Not only will it resolve the alliance issue, but it'll also help Sasha to feel like she's actually a part of our alliance, as so far I believe that Sasha's felt left out, and I don't want her to feel like that. I feel bad for her."

Of course, in reality, Miles felt no sympathy for Sasha whatsoever, believing her to simply be a small tool in his greater, larger plan of winning the competition and thus the grand prize, knowing full well that, due to her timid, frightened personality, she would be easy to manipulate and simple to gain her trust. By giving her the option to choose their final ally, it would secure her loyalty, which Miles wanted as, even though she was on his side, there was still a small worry in the back of his mind that Rebekah would persuade her to abandon him for her.

"That sounds good. We'll tell Sasha when she arrives." Arianna said with a nod and a smile. Deciding to continue her nice girl facade even further, so that Miles would be falsely convinced even more that she was someone she really wasn't, she looked down at the ground, a nervous expression drawn on her lips. "I have to admit, I'm looking forward to meeting Sasha, but I can't help feeling worried and anxious. I mean, what if she doesn't like me? I don't want that...I hate it when people don't like me, especially when I try my hardest..."

Upon hearing this, Miles, who was also pretending to be someone he wasn't, placing a veil over his true personality, softly and gently placed his hand on Arianna's shoulder, instinctively causing her to look up at him, her eyes creased in fear at the supposed thought of Sasha not liking her.

"Arianna, there's nothing not to like about you. You're kind, and sweet, and Sasha's just like that too. You'll fit right in with her. The only difference is that Sasha's much shyer than you, but that shouldn't make the slightest difference. You'll be friends in minutes." Miles reassured her, smiling, not actually giving the slightest care towards Arianna's feelings, but wanting to portray himself as kind and caring.

"...Thank you, Miles." Arianna pretended, smiling gratefully at her ally, when in reality she wanted nothing more than to be sick in her mouth at having to pretend to be so kindhearted and listen to such drivel come out of somebody else's mouth.

"It's okay. You can talk to me anytime you're feeling worried or nervous, okay?" Miles spoke, his voice soft, and Arianna replied by giving him a silent nod and another smile.

The two remained like this, in the position of Miles having his hand on her shoulder and the two staring at each other, for a few moments. However, after a while, the two began to feel genuinely awkward, and stepped away from each other, averting their eyesight to either the ground, in Arianna's case, or the sky, in Miles'. For about a minute, the two fell into a silence, that was uncomfortable and relaxing at the same time.

"So we'll ask Sasha who she'd like in the alliance, when she arrives." Miles reminded himself and Arianna. As his ally nodded again, as if on cue, the branches at the edge of their clearing, where the two of them entered the secret meeting place earlier on, began to shake, telling the two of them that somebody was entering. As only members of the alliance knew about the clearing, and how to get to it, it was obvious who the culprit was.

As the sound of crunching leaves became louder and more prominent, Arianna practically leapt to her feet in less than a second, an expression of fake fear obvious in her face. In an attempt to reassure her, Miles gave her a supportive smile, which 'relaxed' her slightly, and she slowly softened her tense body.

In just a few more seconds, a small hand appeared, brushing a long, thick vine out of the way, revealing Sasha standing behind. She stepped into the clearing, noticing Miles first and giving him a joyful smile, happy to see him as she truly admired him as a friend at the moment, having no idea what his true personality was like. Then, Sasha turned her head, her eyes dusting upon Arianna, and all of a sudden she froze from utter shyness, averting her eyes to the ground.

In response, Arianna, who was pretending to feel as much anxiety as Sasha, took a tentative step towards the timid girl.

"Hi, Sasha. I'm Arianna, and...I hope we can become great friends." Arianna mumbled, flashing Sasha an awkward grin. Instantly, Sasha seemed to relax, perhaps soothed by Arianna's gentle tone. She slowly raised her head.

"I'm Sasha. It's nice to m-meet you." Sasha said, a small smile fluttering on her lips, which Arianna returned. Sasha turned her gaze to Miles, nodding in his direction, before looking back to Arianna. "I know we'll be great f-friends, because y-you must be a good person if M-Miles let you in our alliance."

"Thank you." Arianna murmured quietly, smiling at Sasha, before she also looked at Miles. "You're right about Miles. He's definitely a good guy."

"Come sit down, Sasha." Miles said, intent on getting down to why they were all there in the first place; the competition, and making sure their places in it were secure and firm at all times, with no worry of them potentially being eliminated. As Sasha quickly sat down, Miles' eyes flickered to her. "I was just wondering, how come you were later than usual? Normally you're right on ti-"

"I was just going for a w-walk. You know, to c-clear my head. The stress of the competition has been g-getting to me lately, I guess." Sasha replied, much too quickly, hiding that she had an encounter with Scar from Miles. Suspicious by how quickly she answered, Miles raised an eyebrow dubiously. Just as he was about to question her further, Arianna jumped into the conversation with a smile on her face.

"I completely understand! I always used to go on relaxing walks around the island too, until last time when I caught someone or something up in a tree watching me. Even though that was pretty terrifying, the island is still really beautiful and tranquil." Arianna admitted, beaming at Sasha as she told her story, once again pretending to be happier and more empathetic than she really was.

Sasha, upon hearing this, was incredibly shocked but tried to hide it, instead simply widening her eyes slightly. Luckily, neither Arianna nor Miles seemed to notice. As Sasha looked at Arianna, she realised that she was talking about Scar, but she knew that it was for the best if she hid her knowledge, at least for now.

"That sounds scary." Sasha replied, answering simply and giving away nothing, to which Arianna nodded in agreement.

"Arianna and I were talking just now, and we got a bit stuck on something. We wanted to ask your opinion, and hopefully it'll get us out of the rut we're in." Miles said suddenly, interjecting in the conversation, causing Sasha and Arianna to turn to him and listen closely.

"W-what did you want?" Sasha asked timidly, surprised as she wasn't used to people asking her opinion on matters; they usually acted as if she wasn't there, not thinking about how much it hurt her.

"You've probably realised this already, but there are only three people in our alliance so far. It's a good start, but because there's seven of us in the whole tribe, our alliance is still in the minority and so we will be at risk the next time we need to eliminate someone, unless we recruit one more person to give us the advantage." Miles explained thoroughly, and Sasha nodded along, feeling a pang of worry at being in the minority, not wanting to be eliminated despite the trauma the competition had caused her frail mind thus far.

"Miles and I have had a few discussions on who we want in our alliance, but we haven't been able to decide on a person due to the differences the two of us share; who I want in the alliance, Miles doesn't, and vice versa." Arianna continued from where Miles left off. "Miles doesn't want Rebekah, Scar or Jackie, while I dislike Griff and would not like to work with him."

"But...isn't that everybody else in the tribe who isn't in our alliance?" Sasha pointed out with a confused frown, not understanding what Miles and Arianna were telling her. "How are we going to a-add someone to our alliance if the two of you dislike everyone else in our t-tribe? There's nobody left."

"That's where you come in." Miles spoke ominously, and Sasha's eyes widened as she slowly began to understand what they meant by 'asking her opinion'. "Because Arianna and I can't decide on an ally, we've decided to let you make the decision, as it's only fair. Whoever you choose will be our final ally, so please take into account whether they're trustworthy and a good player in general, as this person will likely stay with us for a long time."

As a mix of excitement and anxiety wrapped around Sasha like a blanket upon hearing this, she tried to push these intense feelings to the back of her mind, knowing she was about to make a vital, necessary decision for her alliance, that would undoubtedly have long-lasting effects. Sasha began to think hard about the four remaining members in the tribe; Rebekah, Griff, Jackie and Scar, and tried her hardest to deduce who would be most suitable for their alliance.

After a few seconds of thinking, Sasha slowly rose her gaze from the ground, looking at both Arianna and Miles and willing herself to be strong, keeping her eyes on them and not looking away. She knew that when she named her choice, she had to look and sound strong.

"Scar." Sasha almost whispered, continuing to look at Miles and Arianna to spot how they reacted to the news.

Upon hearing the name, Arianna and Miles shared a quick glance before looking away. However, in that split-second, both of them detected concern, worry and disappointment in the other's eyes; Scar being part of the alliance would not bode well for either of them, and they were not sure how they would resolve the inevitable tension that would ensue.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"Scar? This...could become an issue for me. However, if I simply remain calm and continue playing the game as I currently am, I should be fine. Scar's clever; not many people would think he is, due to his nature and anti-social personality, but I can see through almost anyone, straight into the cores of their personas, and I know that Scar's an intelligent person. He wouldn't ridicule me in front of Arianna and Sasha, because he knows I have strength of manipulation on my side, and with my current emotional hold on the two, especially Sasha, I would undoubtedly succeed. He knows that full well. Despite this, i do still feel ever so slightly worried...but it's better than most options, I suppose." Miles said, speaking anonymously about Rebekah in his last sentence as he sat in the confessional, staring blankly at the wall, his mind completely focused on his strategy.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Arianna Rodriguez**

 **"What a shock! The little weirdo wants SCAR, out of everyone?! I mean, I'm at least glad that she doesn't want Griff, because _that_ would be utterly terrible. The freak would definitely tell Sasha and Miles all about me, and I definitely can't have that, under any circumstances. But...ugh...it's not like Scar has anything against me, I suppose...I mean, he even tried to warn me about Miles, even though he was spewing lies...probably. Eugh, I just DO NOT want to be in an alliance with that complete freak of nature! It's already bad enough with Sasha, the stuttering dwarf, and Miles, who always talks in riddles as if he's some sort of weird poet. With Scar as well, I'll be glancing over my shoulder constantly, making sure he isn't holding a knife about to attack me, and it's all thanks to Sasha, the stupid gremlin." Arianna complained, grumbling nonstop, her face burning a hot shade of red as she grew angrier and angrier as she reflected on her previous conversation with her alliance. As she ranted, she stared at the camera, her eyes evidently burning and raging with irritation and fury.**

 **...**

While the alliance were in the progress of their meeting, Rebekah was sitting on the beach alone, not too far away, completely oblivious to the strategy that was taking place at the other side of the beach behind just a few trees. She was sitting on the sand, only a metre away from the tide which was slowly but surely coming closer to the shore. With a small sigh of discontent, Rebekah realised that she would soon have to move if she didn't want to drown.

However, as she sat there, staring lazily at the ocean waves gently lapping up and down as the hot sun shone down on the shimmering water, Rebekah found herself completely unwilling to get to her feet or even shift a muscle out of place from the position they were currently in. In fact, she didn't think she ever wanted to stand up and walk again, because she knew that if she did, she would inevitably have to face Sasha and her passionate hate for her yet again.

While Rebekah sat on the soft sand, she knew she couldn't focus solely on the negatives of her life as, if she did, she would undoubtedly spiral into a depression which she definitely didn't want. Even though it was hard, she tried to force herself to think about happy things she had in the game. After a few seconds of no results and silently looking at the ground, her mind sparked a memory of the current alliance she was in; herself, Griff and Jackie, and a small smile illuminated her darkened, solemn complexion as she remembered that, above all, at least she wasn't on her own.

However, just as Rebekah began to feel better about her situation, and she shifted position slightly, about to get up, her mind once again retracted back to Sasha. Instantly, her mood dampened again, and Rebekah slumped back to the ground, her eyes emotionless as she gazed at a pale grey fish leaping out of the water before landing back in it with a gentle splashing sound, wishing her life could be that simple and she could just swim around all day, having no care for anything. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy, and she had to deal with the consequences her actions brought on.

As her mind drifted through the cycle of feeling guilty about the things she did and desperately searching for something to make her feel better about her situation over and over again, a sudden blast of cold air from the ocean slammed into her, causing her to shudder and instinctively move her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them in an attempt to retain warmth. Despite the gradually dropping temperature in the air due to the wind, Rebekah was still not compliant to move, and continued thinking about Sasha, growing more and more miserable, until a sudden tap on her shoulder switched off the power on her thoughts for the time being.

Rebekah, blinking as she realised how much her thoughts were corrupting her for a moment, slowly turned her head to see Jackie standing behind her, staring at her with concern evidently written on her face. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Rebekah averted her gaze, staring at the ground.

"Rebekah, are you okay?" Jackie asked quickly, the tone in her voice soft and gentle. She folded her arms, shivering slightly. "You must be freezing sitting by the ocean with all this wind blowing. I mean, I was getting chills sitting by the campfire!"

"I'm okay." Rebekah mumbled bluntly and simply, still keeping her eyes on the floor. However, Jackie wouldn't let it slide, aiming her thumb behind her at the campfire a few metres away, a safe distance from the shore so it wouldn't be extinguished.

"Come on, I don't like seeing you sitting there in the cold. Besides, I made a fire just now, and I don't want it to go to waste by being the only one using it." Jackie suggested, but the way she said it told Rebekah that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"..." Rebekah's lips upturned slightly in a delicate smirk as her vision flicked up to Jackie's face, which appeared to be oblivious and caring. "You made that on purpose so I'd move away from the ocean, didn't you?"

"...Come on." Jackie said vaguely, turning away, hiding the fact that she was also smirking from Rebekah.

As Jackie began walking over to the campfire, her speed being slowed due to the masses of sand on the ground, Rebekah slowly lumbered to her feet and began dragging her body across the beach, following Jackie. Despite her lack of motivation to do anything, Rebekah couldn't stop herself from smiling, grateful and relieved for Jackie's show of genuine concern for her.

Rebekah reached the logs surrounding the campfire used as seats a few seconds after Jackie, and sat down opposite her, the raging, dancing flames between them. Upon feeling the instant, replenishing heat the fire emanated, Rebekah closed her eyes and let out a sigh of happiness, happy that she had decided to let Jackie take her away from the ocean. Jackie noticed her expression and grinned.

"Do you like it?" Jackie asked, and in response Rebekah gave a simple nod. Jackie giggled slightly, but after a few seconds the laugh slowly faded out into silence, and confusion knitted Jackie's brow instead. Her tone changed from playful to serious as she continued speaking. "Rebekah...why were you sitting out in the cold?"

"I was just...really focused on thinking about stuff, I suppose...and I was too occupied to notice my surroundings." Rebekah answered vaguely as she stared into the flames which merged between yellow, orange and red as they intertwined in a complex yet beautiful dance of heat emergence.

"I understand that. This competition...it can really take a lot out of you sometimes, can't it? I mean, pretty much every second of every hour of every day you have to concentrate on strategy and making sure you actually stay in the game, and if you don't adapt...if you make just one error...you can be eliminated in a second. So much happens in this game that it's hard to actually enjoy the nicer things, such as the beauty of the island and friendships that develop." Jackie said wisely, and Rebekah's eyes widened slightly, believing herself to be the only person who had been truly affected by the toughness of the game, at least so far. After getting over her initial surprised, Rebekah gave a nod of agreement.

"But it doesn't get any easier. If anything, as more and more people are eliminated, and less people remain, it gets even harder, which you wouldn't think originally, because more people usually cause more drama. But this game is different. As each day goes by, those still competing learn, develop, and adapt, and if you don't grow as a player, you'll be left behind and swept away by the waves of elimination." Rebekah mumbled miserably, reflecting on the times she had been at the bonfire area so far, and the fear she felt every time, worried that she had overlooked something and she would be voted out or blindsided by her allies.

"You know a lot about this, huh?" Jackie pointed out softly after Rebekah stopped talking, looking at her with admiration shining in her eyes, feeling respect for her due to her knowledge of the competition. However, soon after the admiration appeared it soon vanished, being replaced with a sense of worry. "Do you know so much because you've already had a bad experience in this game?"

To this, Rebekah froze, and nerves hit her like a truck that threatened to make her body collapse. Desperate, fearful thoughts began racing through her head, as Rebekah began thinking of all the different possibilities that could result from her telling the truth, and admitting that she had used Sasha, or lying, or being vague, or evading the question; all of these would inevitably cause Jackie to grow suspicious and mistrusting of her, unless she was clever with her words and managed to manipulate Jackie in such a way that she averted her attention from the truth.

As Rebekah stared blankly at Jackie, displaying no information on her face, she decided that she had to lie to Jackie. If she told Jackie openly that she had used and manipulated a timid, innocent girl to her own benefit, what would Jackie think of her? She would probably be disgusted, and angry, and would lose all trust she had gathered for Rebekah. Then, she would tell Griff, and both of them would expel her from the alliance, and because Sasha and Miles hated her, Rebekah would be all on her own. If she told the truth, her game would be destroyed. She couldn't do that.

So, after she thought through all this in just a few seconds, Rebekah decided to allow her selfish logic and dishonest streak to shine through and overpower her honesty, braveness and compassion. She slowly looked at Jackie, about to speak, hoping that she would be able to fabricate her story well and thus convince Jackie that she was a good, honest contestant and not like everybody else; someone who would lie and manipulate to save their own skin. However, she had a reputation for being an awful liar, and she hoped that wouldn't be the case this time, when she needed the skills the most.

"...Did Griff tell you about my argument with Sasha?" Rebekah began her web of lies slowly, keeping eye contact with Jackie and making sure she didn't fidget.

"Yeah, he did, but he didn't go into any details at all because he didn't think it was his business. All I know is that you had a fight." Jackie answered, relieving Rebekah, as it would make it easier for her to put across her fake experience as Jackie had no knowledge of it. So, with a deep breath, Rebekah ignored her heightening pangs and feelings of regret and guilt at having to lie to Jackie, remaining strong as it was a necessity that she believed her upcoming fabrication.

"Well, the reason for why I was fighting with her is because, back when we were both on the Sand Tribe together, after I was moved there from the Sea Tribe, Sasha and I made an alliance together. When we both had our first conversation together, I thought we truly connected and had a lot of things in common, and I thought we were going to be friends for a long time. I thought she felt the same way too. But she was playing me the entire time. The entire time she was being friendly with me, or laughing at my jokes, or reassuring me when I was upset, it was all fake. The whole time she was manipulating me. Then, at a time when I felt I could trust her with my life, at a time when Sasha promised she would never do a thing to hurt me...she abandoned me and betrayed me, for another girl in the tribe, Ingrid." Rebekah lied, forcing fake tears to well up in her eyes and speaking in a sad tone. As Jackie listened, she frowned, feeling sympathetic for her. "Luckily, when everyone else found out, they sided with me because they thought what Sasha did was treacherous and disgusting. So, Ingrid was eliminated, and the two of us moved onto this tribe, being the only ones to come from the original Sand Tribe."

"Wow...I really didn't think Sasha was like that at all..." Jackie murmured, incredibly shocked, staring at Rebekah's facade of sadness on her face with wide, surprised eyes. "I thought she was honest and kind..."

"I thought so too, Jackie, but looks can be, and in most cases are deceitful." Rebekah nodded in agreement to Jackie, hiding her guilt over lying about Sasha, who she desperately wanted to be friends with again, quite well. "That's another aspect of this competition that makes it all the harder to progress; everyone is out for themselves when it comes down to it, and so the most innocent looking people use those qualities to trick people into thinking they're friendly and sweet, when in reality they end up being the most treacherous and manipulative."

Jackie gave a slow nod to this, sighing sadly as she realised her image of Sasha had changed and distorted wildly from just a few moments ago, all because of Rebekah's lie which she was completely oblivious to. Rebekah watched Jackie, and she knew that she was thinking about Sasha, and she realised that she had to quickly change the subject or else she may end up exploding from regret.

"Has anything similar to what's happened to me happened to you? Have you had a bad experience also?" Rebekah asked her quickly, and Jackie glanced at her, taking her mind off Sasha for a moment.

Jackie, just like Rebekah, also felt worried as she thought about when she herself betrayed her allies, Scar and Jayna, a long time ago on the Serenity Tribe for Connor and Oswald. Even though she felt incredibly guilty and sympathetic for Scar, as she basically eliminated his only ally due to her actions, leaving him on his own, she still believed that, in the long run, it was a good decision and she was glad that she did it. However, it still pained her that Scar now had a burning, wild passionate hate for her, that only hurt her more with every passing day as Scar grew angrier and angrier.

However, thinking on the same pathway of logic as Rebekah, she knew that if she revealed the truth, and that she was basically a traitor, then Rebekah would most likely refuse to stay in an alliance with her, as she wouldn't trust her in the slightest. So, she also chose the route of dishonesty, despite feeling guilty and ashamed of herself.

"Yeah, I have...one of the members of our tribe, Scar...h-he betrayed me, back on the Serenity Tribe, similar to how Sasha betrayed you. There was this other girl on the Serenity Tribe, who isn't in the game anymore, Jayna. She was my best friend, and we spent literally every moment together. After a few days, we decided to start an alliance, and Scar was our first ally to join. We felt bad for him, because he was always on his own and he seemed cold and distant, so we wanted to help bring him out of his shell. However, because Jayna and I spent all our time together, we took our minds off the game, and forgot to focus on strategy and also the loyalty of our allies. That backfired on us." Jackie explained, delving deeper into her lie with every word she spoke. "One day, when Jayna and I were in the ocean together, Scar took the opportunity of being away from us to conspire with the other members of the tribe behind our backs, and the next time we went to the bonfire area we were blindsided, and Jayna was eliminated all thanks to Scar's betrayal."

"That's horrible!" Rebekah exclaimed in shock and horror, also falling for Jackie's lie. Both of them had been dishonest and deceitful, but also incredibly gullible, believing the other's fabrications, making them both appear to be treacherous people, who lacked the intelligence necessary to see through someone's deception. "I can't believe how much the two of us have been through, and the competition isn't even halfway through yet. But...at least we're both still here, and in my opinion, I think we're stronger than ever."

"Yeah, I think so too." Jackie said, smiling and nodding, before sighing and folding her arms, an expression of sadness twisting her lips upside down. "Why do the bad things always happen to the kindest, most honest people...?"

Rebekah nodded at this, and the two fell into a comfortable silence, happy that the other had believed their lie while also feeling guilty at the same time. Both girls stared into the dancing flames, enjoying the heat, wondering how many more times they would have to weave fabrications and deceive people if they wanted to succeed and win the competition.

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"Do I feel bad for lying to Jackie? Of course I do! She's my new ally and I've already been dishonest...it's like I can't help being deceitful and deceptive! But it was necessary; I won't say it wasn't, because it definitely was. If I didn't lie...I may be on my own, not in the alliance anymore, and I can't have that...I'd wind up eliminated, and then all my work would be for nothing! I'd rather tell a little white lie than be voted out of the game for being honest and truthful; I need to play this game for myself, and only myself, if I want any hope of winning at all."**

 **...**

 **The Defenders _(Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Brooke and Gabby)_**

Kevin sat alone in the shelter the team had constructed, extending on the shelter already there as they needed to make it suitable for seven members, not five. Kevin was currently in the process of making everybody's beds and making them look nice and comfy, for example feathering out the pillows and trying to make them more comfortable to sleep in generally. However, this wasn't to get into everyone's good books, but to simply occupy his mind with something that wasn't the competition, which had been taking a lot out of him as of late.

As he continued fixing up the camp, now switching from making and adjusting beds to fixing up the shelter a little bit, his mind began to drift towards thinking about Gabby and Zane, despite how hard he tried not to. As he thought about them, a pang of worry shot through his heart like an arrow as he thought about how they would act towards him, and what they would do to him after they found out that he had betrayed them the day before at the bonfire.

Realising he was beginning to grow panicky and upset, Kevin forced his mind to think about better things, things that would make him feel happier about his predicament. In just a few seconds he was thinking about Oswald, Connor and Brooke's alliance, which he was now a part of thanks to the generosity the three showed him. This knowledge reassured him, as he knew that, no matter what, he was safe if they ended up going to the bonfire again. However, it didn't help him emotionally, as he was still fearful every second that Gabby and Zane would do something to him, and because of that he couldn't relax.

His thoughts now causing him to start to overreact, Kevin gave up on attempting to find a way to relax his brain of worries and got to his feet, suddenly desperate to find Oswald, Connor and Brooke and talk to them about his growing fears and anxiety, hoping they would be able to help him or at least calm him down somehow. He quickly stepped out of the shelter and speedily headed towards the edge of the clearing, intent on reaching the beach where his alliance would likely be.

However, just as he was about to leave the tribe's shelter clearing, he suddenly heard quiet yet obnoxious voices, gradually growing louder which told Kevin they were coming his way, whoever they were. The sound of crunching leaves also became prominent in his ears, and he knew it couldn't be him making the sounds as he had stopped walking upon hearing the voices.

Suddenly feeling incredibly nervous and anxious, Kevin backed away and pressed his body behind a tree, peering through a cluster of leaves and noticing a brief flash of clothing. Instantly, Kevin's worries dissolved, as he realised that the approaching people were his allies. He began walking over to the source of the voices, desperate to discuss his woes with at least one of them, but just before he reached them he stopped, listening closely. In a few more seconds, he recognised the voices and his heart suddenly dropped. Gabby and Zane.

Knowing that if they saw him they would probably harass him endlessly, especially because he was on his own, Kevin quickly glanced around for a place he could hide until they passed. He looked around at the trees, thinking about making a mad dash through the greenery, but just before he made an attempt he stopped himself, realising that they would hear him and proceed to see him, thus resulting in them making his life a further misery while he or they were still in the game. With a frightened realisation, Kevin understood that the only suitable hiding place where they may not see him was the shelter, and so he quickly took off towards it.

Kevin reached the shelter in just a few seconds and he sneaked inside, walking to the back and pressing his body close to the wall, staying completely silent, his heart beating in his eardrums. He realised the voices were still getting closer and louder, and it wasn't long before he could vaguely make out what they were saying.

"Zane, I'm gonna be honest. I'm really, _really_ worried about the next immunity challenge. I mean, there's no doubt that one of us is going to be eliminated unless something big happens. I think we need a miracle..." Gabby mused with a sad, defeated tone in her voice as the two walked through the forest, careful not to fall or trip on the shrubbery underneath their feet.

"We just have to try our hardest. When it comes down to it, that's all we can do, and hopefully it'll be enough. Besides, we're both strong in challenges, so hopefully we can pull through." Zane said in an attempt to reassure her, making sure his voice had a soothing tone to it.

"It doesn't matter whether we're strong in challenges or not, Zane! Everyone else is going to throw the challenge to eliminate us because they all hate us! We won't be able to win the challenge or even have a chance at getting close to beating the other tribe if over half of this tribe refuses to try! Then they're going to eliminate one of us, then throw the next immunity challenge and vote out whoever's left!" Gabby exclaimed with teary eyes, growing increasingly stressed out, surprising Zane slightly.

"It'll be okay, Gabby. Try not to worry. We're going to be fine." Zane said, his voice quieting down as he couldn't help feeling intimidated by his ally. As he spoke, he softly and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, noticing her flinch instinctively upon him doing so.

Throughout their conversation so far, the two had continued to walk, getting closer and closer to the shelter with every step they took. However, they stopped just outside the entrance, due to Gabby's sudden fit of stress, which was much to Kevin's relief. Even though he was trying his hardest to be quiet, he couldn't help gasping slightly at how genuinely upset and emotional Gabby was getting, as he was very used to her being cold, cruel and strong-minded, and never displaying her feelings unless she was attempting to manipulate someone. However, because nobody was around, and they didn't know he was listening, Kevin assumed that Gabby was showing her softer side for a change.

"It's not okay! Let's face it; we deserve everything that's coming to us! I mean, we may as well just give up right now, accept our karma, and get off this stupid island!" Gabby screamed in Zane's face, overreacting blatantly, roughly and angrily shaking Zane's hand off her shoulder and kicking the floor as if she blamed the island for her problems. "We...we never should have been so horrible and cruel...I mean, that's why he betrayed us, isn't it? Our _bullying_ pushed Kevin over the edge, and resulted in him betraying us. I mean, what are we, four year-olds? What's wrong with us?!"

"Maybe we should apologise. Maybe if we say sorry, and really show him that was mean it and we're not just trying to deceive him, he'll forgive us and maybe come back to us?" Zane suggested in a half wise, half desperate manner.

However, to this suggestion, Gabby quickly shook her head and vigorously began wiping her eyes to clear her orbs of vision from the impending tears, absolutely hating it whenever she showed weakness, believing that others thought of her as a coward.

"No. We don't have the right to ask Kevin for forgiveness, Zane. We were so horrible...so cruel...so...so... _inhumane_ to him, that we truly deserve every single bad thing coming to us, for the rest of the competition and potentially the rest of our lives. We just have to face it; we're bullies. Pathetic, cowardly, disgusting bullies! To be honest, I'm glad that Kevin betrayed us. I mean, at least he's in a better place now that he's away from us! Maybe now he'll actually enjoy this once in a lifetime experience!" Gabby spoke, words running out of her mouth like a blasting shower, her voice cracking multiple times, showing how truly upset she really was. After finishing her last sentence she suddenly burst into tears out of absolutely nowhere, sobs racking her body. "You know what?! We just shouldn't even bother trying to stay in the game anymore! We'll only make Kevin even more worried that we're going to do something to hurt him, and I don't want to cause him any more pain! We should just eliminate ourselves right now!"

As Kevin listened to this, his mouth having dropped open in shock a few minutes ago at seeing a whole new side to Gabby, he couldn't help feeling a small spark of sympathy for her, as much as he repelled her. As she continued to spew regret for what she did to Kevin, the traumatised boy began to think that maybe Gabby truly had realised the horrible things she did to him, and really did want to change. Maybe she already had changed! However, as soon as he thought these things Kevin quickly shook them back out of his head, forcing himself to believe that Gabby was lying and pretending, and she didn't actually feel the slightest shred of guilt towards him. But...if that was the case...why would she pretend? As far as she knew, Kevin was all the way over at the beach, and had no idea what she was saying. Why would she randomly start lying?

"Gabby, the two of us are going to be okay. We'll work something out, I know we will. We're both smart, and we know how to take this game by the horns and lead us to victory. We've done it before, and we'll do it again and again until one of us have won. I promise that neither of us will be eliminated until long after the merge, when we're in the final two." Zane said, complete sincerity in his voice, trying his hardest not to retaliate against Gabby's frustration towards him, knowing it would only make the situation worse.

"You don't know that." Gabby mumbled back miserably, not taking into account anything he was saying, resulting in Zane's motivational words simply falling on deaf, ignorant ears.

Upon hearing this, Zane fell completely silent, now unable to think of anything he could say to reassure her, or even calm her down even slightly. Gabby also stopped talking, resulting in an awkward silence ensuing in which the two allies simply stared at each other, their lips sealed, the tension in the air rising with every second that ticked by. During this time, Kevin's fear heightened, as the only thing he could hear was his own breathing, worried that Gabby and Zane would also hear it and discover him.

"I...I think I'm gonna take a nap. This whole situation is...really starting to stress me out and I just think that a short break might help to calm me down and set the worry and sadness I'm feeling at bay, you know?" Gabby said, her voice now calm and tranquil, albeit incredibly strained and seemingly exhausted. Zane nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I understand that. I'll see you later." Zane said in compliance, speaking hurriedly as if he was desperate to get away. As soon as he finished speaking he turned around and slipped out of the clearing, soon disappearing into the distance and leaving Gabby alone in the clearing with Kevin, with the former still not knowing he was there and the latter hoping desperately she wouldn't find out he had been listening the entire time.

However, when Kevin heard Gabby's footsteps crunching the leaves underneath her, the noises getting louder and louder until he knew she was only a few metres away, his eyes widened in pure horror and he felt the pace of his breathing begin to pick up speed. He desperately tried to calm himself down, knowing that it was now inevitable that he would have to face her, much preferring it if he appeared to be confident and uncaring rather than panicking and shaking. Despite this, Kevin didn't feel as nervous as he did before, due to the conversation Gabby shared with Zane in which she admitted the regret she felt, even though he still felt suspicious that would she said could simply be a lie.

Not wanting to look suspicious or strange when she eventually came around the corner, Kevin moved swiftly to his bed and crouched down on it, pretending he was making it and had been the entire time, not hearing a word of their dramatic conversation. After just a few more seconds, Kevin heard Gabby's footsteps suddenly stop, and he realised with a feeling of dread that she was undoubtedly standing there, staring at him. However, wanting to make sure, Kevin quickly glanced behind him. The two briefly made eye contact and Gabby's eyes widened in pure shock, while Kevin suddenly felt sheepish and nervously looked away, hoping to avoid having to speak to her.

As he continued to make his bed for the second time that day, he heard her footsteps begin again as she gradually and awkwardly made her way over to him. After a few seconds, her footsteps stopped, and another silence ensued. With a small sigh of worry, Kevin realised that Gabby was going to speak to him no matter what, whether it was an insult, a compliment, a plead or a general utterance. So, not in the mood to hear anything that was going to come out of her mouth, Kevin decided to stop her before she even started.

"Please leave me alone." Kevin mumbled quietly, his voice cracking halfway through, betraying his nerves and embarrassing him even more than he already was.

After he spoke, there was another small silence in which Kevin slowly and hopefully began to believe that maybe Gabby had actually listened to him, and that she actually granted him what he wanted for a change. However, his hopes disintegrated when he heard her intake a gulp of breath, about to speak.

"Kevin...I know that, right now, I'm no doubt the last person you want to speak to. But...I just wanted to apologise. Believe me when I say that I truly, _truly_ had no idea how much my harassment affected you, but I now realise how awful, disgusting and cruel I was being. I know that you're probably worried that I'm going to attack you, or hit you, or turn everyone in the tribe against you for betraying me, and I don't blame you for thinking that; it's something I would do, considering how pathetic and immature I am. But, to tell the truth, I'm proud of you, Kevin. I'm glad that you betrayed me. It's what I deserve, and I genuinely think that you doing that gave me a reality check that was long overdue." Gabby said profusely, trying to stay strong but unable to stop the dam of tears from breaking, resulting in water gradually and slowly filling up her eyes. "I've been so, so malicious to you, Kevin, and to be honest I think I deserve to be voted out next. I'm so...so, sorry Kevin. Please know that I mean it with all my heart."

Kevin, upon hearing this, was silent for a few moments, his mind spinning into a mass of confusion, shock and doubt. However, through this, an idea formed in his head.

"How...how am I supposed to know that you're not just lying to me? Manipulating me so I'll abandon my alliance and rejoin you and Zane? How am I supposed to know that you're not just trying to control me again?!" Kevin asked, his voice beginning as calm but eventually growing into almost hysteria as emotion began to overcome his attempt at a poker face.

"I knew you would ask that...I can't blame you, to be honest, considering how completely horrible and vile I've acted towards you over the last few days, and how deceitful I can be in general." Gabby mumbled quietly, suddenly feeling awkward and rubbing her arm up and down in an attempt to comfort herself. "I don't care about securing your vote anymore, Kevin. In fact, I don't care about the game anymore at all! I don't deserve to win the game at all, because pretty much the entire time I've just been blindsiding people and bullying you. All I want...all I want, Kevin, is for you to forgive me. After that...I'll accept that I'm going to be eliminated, but at least then I won't have to worry about my actions permanently affecting you for the rest of your life."

After finishing her speech of atonement, she fell silent, watching as Kevin stared at her blankly, not knowing what to say in response as he was incredibly shocked to see this side of Gabby. After waiting a while, Gabby realised that he wasn't going to answer and she slowly took a step backwards, leaving the shelter, now feeling incredibly awkward and partially embarrassed and humiliated.

"Sorry, sorry. I never should've talked to you in the first place, it was a complete mistake on my part. Sorry if I caused you any stress...I...I don't feel very tired anymore. I think I'll head to the beach." Gabby mumbled, stammering slightly before backing away even further.

"I forgive you." Kevin said quietly, looking down at the ground, just as she was about to reach the edge of the clearing. Gabby instantly spun around, and Kevin noticed a wide, relieved, joyful smile plastered on her lips. However, neither of them spoke, resulting in a silence that gave Kevin time to think about more things. Then, with a deep breath, he made an incredibly important decision in just a second. "And...I...I'll rejoin your alliance. If you'll have me."

As her smile became even wider, Gabby happily walked back over to him and extended her hand for him to shake. However, as he did, his gaze aiming at the ground, there was a different glint in Gabby's eye than gratitude and joy; glory, smugness and triumph.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"Of _course_ I saw Kevin trying to hide, duh! It's not hard to miss him; the clumsy idiot stumbles around everywhere like a penguin wearing oversized shoes! As soon as my eagle eyes spotted him, I knew Zane and I had a chance to enact our plan. And, what a surprise, my brilliant mind prevailed once again! Obviously, Kevin agreed to rejoin my alliance; the weak-minded fool doesn't have the brain to say anything else! He's too scared of me to object me, even when I'm lying down at his feet and begging for his forgiveness!" Gabby exclaimed as she joyfully and cruelly ridiculed Kevin, a devious, cruel smirk stretching out her lips as she folded her arms confidently and in a complacent manner.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"What's wrong with me?! You know, I spend all my time alone, feeling sorry for myself, all 'woe is me', but I completely and utterly deserve everything bad and negative I get! I'm so pathetic...Oswald, Connor and Brooke were literally nice enough, _generous_ enough to give me a chance in their alliance despite their better interest, and I've instantly betrayed them! I've betrayed them for two people who, so far in the competition, have been bullying and harassing me almost endlessly! I can't believe myself...I deserve everything... _everything_** **bad that's coming to me..." Kevin mumbled to himself despondently and sadly, placing his head sombrely in his hands, upset and furious with the choices he himself made.**

 **...**

Meanwhile, down by the beach, Brooke was sitting by the shore, cleaning the cooking pots once again using the seawater to help her. With an almost inaudible groan of despair, she vigorously scrubbed, almost angrily, at the grime and food remains that were sticking to the cheap metal, unwilling to leave the pot that had become their home. After giving up for a few moments, she glanced worriedly at the stack of crockery sitting next to her, and instantly felt the want to collapse on the beach and give up.

However, as she scrubbed and scrubbed to no avail, her mind suddenly reminded her of the technique Gabby showed her, and after remembering what she did she found that she was cleaning the pots and pans much faster, and also noticing that they were sparkling much more than when she did it her way. As she finished cleaning one, admiring how shiny it looked, she placed it on the clean pile, which was much lower than the dirty pile, and as Brooke picked up another one a sigh escaped her lips, betraying her opinion on the necessary activity.

Finding a way to pass the time instead of just staring at the ground or in the depths of the dirty pots, Brooke began to think about her current position in the tribe, and a pleasureful smile illuminated her face. She thought about her alliance, and felt grateful that she was in the majority group in the tribe, and at the moment, if everybody stayed loyal which she suspected they would, she wouldn't be eliminated for a long time, if at all. However, despite this, she still felt an uncomfortable, unnerving feeling churn her stomach, and she realised that the thought of Gabby was what was making her feel so nervous.

Brooke knew firsthand how manipulative Gabby could be, and that even though she was in the minority alliance in the tribe, she feared that Gabby would still somehow discover a way to stay in the game, using her treacherous skills to her advantage. As Brooke continued to think about this, the hair on the back of her neck rising as if it sensed her worries, losing concentration on her cleaning, she suddenly heard a voice calling her name coming from just behind her that frightened her slightly, but she soon calmed down when she recognised who it was.

She turned her head to see Kevin standing a metre or two away from her, obviously having been the one who called her. However, he didn't look at her; his eyes were aimed at the ground, and his body was stiff, as if he was nervous or fretful about something. Brooke, ignoring the concern she felt, softly places the saucepan on the ground and gave Kevin a friendly smile, letting him know that he was welcome.

"Hey Kevin! Do you wanna sit down with me for a bit? Scrubbing pots and pans for hours alone can make you quite lonely!" Brooke said with a small giggle. As Kevin silently and awkwardly sat down, not saying anything in response, Brooke frowned for a moment before smiling again and nodding towards the dirty dishes. "I have to say, no matter how much I wash these, I'll never get used to them."

Kevin slowly nodded, but didn't answer, his thoughts and attention clearly focused on something else. He continued to stare emptily at the ocean, while Brooke's smile slowly faded out and contorted into another frown. After a few seconds of silence, Brooke tentatively looked at Kevin, instantly spotting worry in his eyes and feeling concern and dread. Feeling worried, she moved closer to him.

"Kevin, are you okay?" Brooke asked him. Kevin looked back at her, unsure what to say in response.

"I-I'm f-fine, I...I t-think, y-yeah..." Kevin mumbled, and he was speaking so quickly and stuttering so much that Brooke couldn't understand a single word he murmured, causing her to feel even more worried as she noticed that he was likely worried about how she would react to whatever he was trying to say. Trying to make them feel better, she softly placed her hand on his leg, which seemed to calm him down considerably.

"Kevin, you can tell me anything. Please tell me what's wrong." Brooke said honestly, and Kevin stared at her throughout, as if he was quickly thinking about whether to tell her what was on his mind or keep it hidden. Eventually, after a few moments, Kevin took a deep breath.

"It's Gabby. She...she spoke to me earlier." Kevin revealed ominously and vaguely, and Brooke gave a quick nod of understanding, speaking back to him before he had even finished.

"Oh, okay. That's why you seem so uncomfortable. From now on, Kevin, you should just ignore Gabby. She's just pathetic and cruel to try and harass you at any opportunity she can." Brooke cut in without knowing the whole story, causing Kevin to quickly shake his head.

"N-no, no...that's not it." Kevin muttered, his eyes now flicking up to meet Brooke's, a glint of increasing fear evident inside. As Brooke fell quiet, confused, looking at Kevin for an explanation, he slowly continued. "Brooke, even though I respect and trust Oswald and Connor greatly, I still think of you as the most trustworthy, and I feel like whatever I tell you, you would keep secret. This is why I'm telling you this, and not them."

Noticing Kevin was beginning to fidget with his hands and shuffle around on his place in the sand uncomfortably, Brooke began to feel a pang of anxiety as she feared what was to come, her brown eyes glazing over with concern. After another few seconds of silence, in which Kevin began to hesitate, he finally grew enough confidence to tell Brooke what had happened.

"Gabby...she...she apologised to me...and I...um, I agreed...to rejoin her alliance..." Kevin murmured awkwardly, his cheeks already burning in shame about his recent betrayal and the fact that instead of keeping it hidden, like most people would, he blurted it out instantly to one of his allies whom he betrayed.

Brooke, upon hearing this new information, had absolutely no words. Even though she had a pit of dread growing deeper in her stomach about what Kevin was going to say, due to his anxious appearance, she never would've guessed in a million years that the words that were about to come out of his mouth were that of him forgiving Gabby for what she did to him. For the trauma she put him through. Completely bewildered and shocked to the core, Brooke simply didn't know how to react for about a minute, simply staring out at the ocean while Kevin waited in worried anticipation.

"You're...you're joking, right?" Brooke said, deciding that the only rational explanation would be if Kevin didn't actually mean what he said. When Kevin responded with a stare that was filled with nothing but guilt, Brooke couldn't help but grow cold, her eyes narrowing. "What's wrong with you, Kevin? Why would you do this to us? To yourself? Only yesterday, you were crying and shaking, worrying that she would make your life even more of a misery, and now suddenly you've up and joined her alliance again. I'm sorry, but I can't help but be suspicious about this. Did you...lie about Gabby bullying you?"

"No!" Kevin shouted quickly, feeling his eyes grow teary as he noticed how frustrated Brooke was at him. He couldn't complain though; the majority of the contestants in the competition would probably scream at him and swear revenge. "I wasn't lying, I swear! It's just...Gabby seemed truly genuine when she was apologising to me, and I really do think that she's changed. I want to believe that she has and trust in her...I have faith in her. Please, Brooke, try to understand."

"I'm sorry, Kevin, but I just can't. This decision you've made is probably the most nonsensical thing I've heard in my entire life. Can't you realise that Gabby was obviously just manipulating and using you? I can't believe you've done this to us." Brooke said, her voice icy and chilly albeit calm, her eyes composed but betraying fury at the same time. She had lost all trust and sympathy for Kevin in an instant. Before Kevin had a chance to defend himself, Brooke quickly continued, her anger beginning to get the best of her. "I bet you haven't realised that your stupid decision has probably destroyed the chances of winning for your trustworthy, sympathetic alliance who actually had the decency to take you in and trust you. Now we've lost majority, and it's all thanks to you."

"I'm...sorry..." Kevin mumbled timidly, his cheeks redder than they'd ever been before in his entire life as he realised how truly furious Brooke was, expecting her to, at the very least, understand his predicament. However, because he started, he decided to finish what he came here to do. "Brooke, I told you this for a reason. Because I trust you. If I wanted, I could've just kept it a secret and blindsided your alliance at the bonfire."

"Sorry, I'm all out of cookies to give you." Brooke interjected sarcastically with a small eye roll, folding her arms as she stared at the ocean, terrified as she thought how Kevin's betrayal would affect her and her alliance. She didn't want to be eliminated, not after everything she'd been through so far, and she couldn't believe someone who she gave another chance would be the one to seal her fate.

Ignoring her spiteful comment, Kevin looked Brooke dead in the eye, knowing he was about to suggest something that could become a game changer.

"Brooke, I want you in my alliance. With Gabby and Zane. Even though I'm truly, truly grateful towards Oswald and Connor for taking me in when I had nobody, you're still the person who originally listened to my problems and decided to rescue me. For that, I'm eternally grateful and I don't want to see you eliminated due to my actions." Kevin suggested, causing Brooke to freeze up, unsure if she heard him correctly. After a few moments, she hesitantly shook her head.

"I can't do that to Oswald and Connor. They're decent, kind people and I don't think I could bear to betray them and watch them get voted out one by one while standing by the side of a bully and her crony." Brooke affirmed, thinking about joining Kevin and instantly feeling guilty.

"I understand." Kevin murmured simply, expecting nothing different, knowing he would have to be persuasive if he wanted to save his friend from a early fate. "But in this game...it's virtually impossible to remain loyal the entire time. If you try to stick with people for the entire duration of the competition, and never even consider leaving them for stronger others, then people will act on their advantage taking instincts and conspire and betray you behind your back. You would be eliminated, not even getting close to the end. I know it would be hard, but please Brooke, please consider it. I don't want to see you eliminated."

Brooke listened to Kevin's words carefully and observantly, keeping eye contact the entire time before desperately wanting to look away, feeling increasingly more nervous with every word he said. Even though she wanted desperately to block out every thing he said, doubt began to swirl around her mind as she realised Kevin was right, and she began to contemplate abandoning Connor and Oswald for just a moment before shaking her head vigorously to empty her brain of the traitorous thoughts.

"I need time to think about it. It's impossible to make big decisions like this in just a few seconds." Brooke muttered quickly before dismissing herself, rising to her feet and walking a distance away, before turning back and looking at Kevin who remained sitting on the beach. "I'll tell you my answer later."

With that, Brooke departed into the wide, enveloping forest, leaving a confused, worried Kevin alone on the shore next to the dirty dishes yet to be cleaned.

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"What's wrong with Kevin? After we let him into our alliance...only a day later he betrays us? I thought he was more than this...I thought he was better. And when he said he wanted me to join his alliance?! There's no way I'm joining that and betraying Oswald and Connor! I'd never be in an alliance with Gabby, not in a million years! I just said that I'd think about it so Kevin wouldn't pin me as a target..." Brooke muttered with a despondent sigh, suddenly transforming from hopeful and positive to miserable and nervous.**

 **...**

Elsewhere, halfway across the beach, Oswald and Connor were sitting together by the campfire, in the process of cooking a meal of fish with some added fruit they retrieved from their basket after picking it from trees around the island. There was a comfortable silence taking place, in which Connor gingerly stirred the saucepan, watching as the fish sizzled pleasantly. However, Oswald wasn't nearly as relaxed; his observant gaze had spotted Kevin and Brooke sitting together, talking, as soon as the conversation had begun, and he hadn't stopped watching them since. His eyes narrowed in slight suspicion as he concerned his mind over what they were talking about in such secrecy without him and Connor there too.

Usually, Oswald wasn't a paranoid person, being calm and composed the majority of the time, but the mysterious conversation shared between Kevin and Brooke was an exception, due to Kevin's evident stiff body position and Brooke's worried, concerned expression. Because of these actions and expressions, Oswald knew for definite that they were discussing something about the game behind his and Connor's backs, not involving themselves in a casual chat.

Knowing that it was a necessity that he knew that they were talking about, as he was in their alliance and everyone involved should know the same amount of information so that nobody could be blindsided, Oswald slowly and silently rose to his feet. As he stood, he eyed the fish cooking on the saucepan and estimated that it needed about ten minutes of frying left before it was finished. Due to this, he knew that he would be back at the campfire before the fish finished cooking, as he wasn't intending on staying with Brooke and Kevin long. However, he decided to inform Connor to keep an eye anyway.

Oswald glanced at Connor, who had a stick in his hand, drawing patterns in the sand, his eyes dull and empty, seemingly having forgotten all about the fish that was gradually browning as it cooked in the pan. To this, Oswald raised his eyebrow slightly, feeling a small sense of concern as his ally was usually energetic, friendly and open, not quiet and easily distracted.

However, he decided to ignore it for the time being due to the more pressing matters on his mind, which was making sure their current standing in the game was secure. As he took a step backwards, he looked at Connor once more.

"I need to go ask Brooke and Kevin something. Can you keep an eye on the fish and make sure it doesn't burn?" Oswald asked Connor slowly, observing his facial expressions.

However, Connor remained dead silent, acting as if he never heard the question in the first place. Oswald tilted his head slightly in confusion before assuming that Connor simply didn't hear him, even though he was quite loud. After waiting a few moments, Oswald stepped back towards him, about to repeat the question, quickly glancing back at Brooke and Kevin and feeling relieved to see they were still talking, seemingly deeply involved in what they were discussing. However, before he could speak again, Connor cut in.

"I'll keep an eye on it." He mumbled, defeat evident in his tone, as he continued to draw irrelevant pictures and symbols in the sand.

"Thanks." Oswald replied solemnly, even more concerned. He turned again and started walking over to Brooke and Kevin. When he reached halfway across the beach, and he began to hear their voices but not make not the words, he couldn't help glancing back at Connor, noticing he hadn't even lifted his gaze to glance at the fish. With a small sigh, Oswald stopped in his tracks, knowing that he had to talk to Connor and find out why he seemed so distant and unusual today.

As he turned and began walking back briskly to Connor, he glanced over his shoulder and observed Brooke walking away from Kevin, knowing that he had lost his chance for the time being at finding out the details of their conversation. After a few seconds he reached the campfire and stood in silence, staring at Connor for a while. After continuing to dig at the sand with his stick, Connor noticed Oswald watching him out of the corner of his eye.

"I've been checking it every few seconds." Connor lied halfheartedly, not even bothering to make his fabrication seem truthful. "It needs about another twenty minutes to cook, it seems to be frying quite slowly today."

"You can't have been keeping an eye on it, because usually you're really good at knowing how long food has to cook for, and if you were paying attention, you'd know that it's nearly done." Oswald replied quickly, pointing out Connor's mistake.

However, to this, Connor blatantly ignored him, jabbing the stick in the sand over and over again. Oswald quietly sat down next to him, watching him for a few more seconds.

"What's wrong, Connor?" Oswald asked, unable to hide his confusion from his voice as Connor was usually so chirpy and cheerful, meaning he never had to worry about him. Connor, detecting the tone in his voice, stopped drawing things in the sand but continued holding the stick as he glanced up at Oswald.

"I'm okay. There's no need to worry about me." Connor said, flashing Oswald a happy smile, his voice reassuring but his eyes empty and pained, revealing to Oswald that he wasn't telling him the whole truth, if any of it.

Oswald stared at Connor, not believing his forced words, and after a few seconds of keeping up the facade of happiness, Connor's smile dropped, being replaced with discomfort, a frown distorting his lips. Connor quickly let go of the stick and picked up the spatula, holding it firmly as he moved the fish around the saucepan.

"This needs to come out in about two minutes." Connor mumbled, trying to distract Oswald and take his mind off focusing on him. However, Oswald wasn't having any of it, and quickly cut in.

"Connor, I know you. We've been working together since the very start of the game, pretty much! I can see straightaway when there's something wrong with you so there's no point in lying. Tell me what's the matter." Oswald coaxed him firmly, looking directly into Connor's eyes.

"..." Connor gave Oswald a sigh before looking at him, a small scale of respect and admiration now in his eyes, replacing the stubborn dismissal. "I wish I was as observant as you, Oswald. It would make life a lot easier!"

Oswald remained silent, refusing to speak to Connor anymore until he revealed to him what was wrong. After placing his arms around his neck and looking up at the sky, Connor eventually gave in with another small sigh.

"I just...feel worried, at the moment. I mean, I used to enjoy playing this game, and I was really positive about my position, but now...even though I'm in a majority alliance with great, trustworthy, strong allies...I just...I can't help feeling nervous and worried. Pessimistic, constantly. Every single time I do something nowadays I'm always thinking about the consequences, the bad consequences, that could arise from it, whether I'm talking to someone during a challenge or even going for a swim in the ocean!" Connor explained, his voice cracking slightly, betraying how much pressure was evidently on him that he had been hiding. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep going in the game. I mean, I'm feeling like this and it's not even the halfway mark yet! What'll I be like when the merge eventually comes around? There'll be even less of us, which means more blindsides and more betrayals and less trust and less friendship. I'm also feeling really nervous about Jackie...I mean, as far as we know, she's on her own on the other tribe and the only reason she's still in the game is because we lost the last immunity challenge!"

Throughout this, Oswald listened silently to Connor's qualms, nodding in support while Connor opened his heart for him, letting his fears run free. When Connor eventually fell quiet, using the spatula once more to slowly and carefully move the fish from the frying pan onto a plate, Oswald knew that he was waiting for a response, even if he wasn't looking at him.

"Connor, I can completely understand your worries. You shouldn't feel like you're ridiculous at all for being in this mindset, because I can guarantee that every single person in this game, including myself, is feeling the same qualms and nerves. It's only natural in a game where only one of us, the strongest, smartest and most strategic will succeed and win the grand prize. Anyone will do anything to be that person. That's why we're all here." Oswald explained in a calm and collected manner, his eyes trained on Connor's face as he talked coolly, knowing that if he showed any other emotion it could make Connor even more nervous.

Connor listened closely to this, having totally lost concentration and interest in cutting the fish and fruit into equal pieces for everybody in the tribe, focusing his attention completely on what Oswald was saying in an attempt to reassure him and calm him down, which so far appeared to be working.

"However, even though everyone feels these worries, the overall winner of this competition will be the person who can best push these worries back to the darkest, furthest recesses of their minds and ignore them, as if they do that then they won't hesitate before doing something that could save them, such as betraying or lying to someone." Oswald explained, being careful with his words, as Connor nodded at different parts of his motivational speech. "Connor, if you want to make it far and progress well, you'll need to learn to forget, or ignore as best as you can, these worries, and focus solely on what's happening to you at the time. It'll take a great sense of responsibility and individuality, but don't forget that Brooke, Kevin, Jackie and I will be there with you to aid and help you whenever you need it, for as long as we can."

"...Thank you, Oswald." Connor said in a whisper that was almost inaudible, a small smile having formed in his face that was growing and widening by the second. "I feel a lot better now."

In response, Oswald gave him a smile and a nod, which was rare as usually Oswald kept his emotions and feelings locked up, betraying nothing to nobody unless he trusted them with his life. Connor continued to cut up the fish, placing the chunks onto small plates along with a little, albeit varied, assortment of fruit. However, his smile eventually faded, being replaced with guilt as his eyes flicked back up to rest on Oswald.

"Sorry for holding you back on what you wanted to do earlier, Oswald, with Brooke and Kevin. If you want, you can go do it now. I feel a lot better." Connor encouraged and offered, once again smiling apologetically at Oswald.

To this, Oswald glanced back at where Brooke and Kevin were originally discussing something in secret, noticing that not only was Brooke not there anymore, but Kevin had also vanished.

"It's okay, I'll talk to them later." Oswald refused politely with a small shake of his head. Connor nodded, handing Oswald a plate of fish and fruit which he accepted gratefully.

 **Confessional: Connor Mendeleev**

 **"Phew...I have to say, I feel a lot more comfortable in my competition now. After Oswald told me that everyone's feeling worried and nervous, I feel a lot happier about my position. I thought that I was just exaggerating and overreacting, but I don't think so now. Oswald's really helped me out." Connor admitted, smiling at the camera. "I really do hope our alliance stays strong throughout the competition."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"I can't have Connor getting worried and stressed out every couple of days. He's been my ally since, pretty much, the start of the competition. I've genuinely grown to care about him. He's a good guy, and I don't want to see him getting so freaked out that he winds up digging himself an early grave, in terms of the competition. If he continued worrying as much as he was, he would've done something to jeopardise his place in the competition. So...I lied to him, but only because I had to. It was a necessity. I told him that everyone in the competition is feeling worried, but obviously I have no idea if that's actually the case. I mean, I know for a certainty that I'm not worried at the people, and people as big-headed and egotistical as Gabby likely aren't either. But, as long as it keeps Connor optimistic and happy generally, I had to, because I need him right now and I don't want to see him eliminated, not for a while yet." Oswald explained his choices as he gently tapped his chin, speaking as he thought about the encounter he shared with his ally.**

 **...**

 **Reward Challenge**

The thirteen contestants still fighting for the grand prize, seven Attackers and six Defenders, seven boys and six girls, all entered the beach by two different pathways differentiated by the tribes they came from. When everyone was stood on their respective tribe mats, and the Attackers observed who had been eliminated, they began to take notice of their surroundings, to give them an idea of what the challenge would entail.

There were twelve podiums standing on the beach, going down from the top to the bottom in two symmetrical lines, six of them red and six of them blue. On these podiums were a smaller podium with a bright red button on top, leaving the contestants confused and curious as they wondered further what they would have to do, discussing their ideas in hushed whispers with other members of their tribe.

As the contestants waited, some of the more ambitious ones beginning to grow impatient, someone suddenly appeared on top of one of the trees in the forest behind the beach, and when the contestants noticed they gasped in shock. Chris was standing on the highest branch of one of the trees, and all of a sudden he began to quickly abseil downwards, clinging onto a rope that was being held by Chef, who was also on top of the tree.

However, when Chris was about halfway down the tree, Chef abruptly let go of the rope purposely, causing Chris to let out a horrified scream as he fell down the rest of the distance, slamming into the trunk along the way and also being slapped by branches as he fell. After a short fall, Chris tumbled onto the ground with a sickening crunch, causing some of the contestants to gasp, some to scream and some of them to even giggle.

However, Chris got up within seconds, his face bright red with anger, rubbing his back while he let out groans of pain. He looked up at the tree, glaring furiously at Chef who grinned back at him, struggling to stifle his laughter.

"That's it! I warned you hundreds of times about doing this to me, Chef! Well, you're gonna regret it!" Chris screamed to Chef's smirking face, reaching in his pocket and bringing out a slip of paper. Instantly, the humour vanished from Chef's face and was replaced with shock and horror. "This is your paycheck for this month. Well, looks like you're not getting it anymore!"

Chris proceeded to tear up the slip of paper while Chef exploded into tears, collapsing on the branch of the tree he was standing on, weeping into the wood while the contestants waited, growing increasingly more uncomfortable as they were forced to listen to Chef's sobs of despair and Chris' maniacal laughter.

"And I'll make sure it happens to the rest of them, too!" Chris shouted up one more time before stepping out from the tree and walking across the beach to greet the contestants, standing in-between the two lines of podiums. As he looked at them all, a sadistic grin formed on is face. "I wish the challenge was more like what just happened there, because I'd love to see some of you falling from heights like that! It would be hilarious!"

In response, the contestants rolled their eyes at Chris' rudeness and lack of empathy, beginning to mutter insults about him to each other quietly under their breath. After allowing it to happen for a few seconds, Chris quickly grew bored and raised his voice.

"Um, I'm speaking now so I expect silence!" Chris interrupted them all loudly, causing them all to roll their eyes, disliking him even more than they already did from watching the previous seasons of Total Drama. Chris folded his arms, eyeing every one of the teenagers up, nothing but loathing in his eyes. "Seriously, I cannot believe how rude the younger generations are. The older days were so much better."

With that, Chris spun around to look at the twelve platforms, spreading his arms apart to direct the eyes of the contestants to them.

"This here is the next challenge. Six contestants from each team will have to stand on a podium each, facing the contestants from the other team. Then, I will ask you all trivia questions based on what's happened so far in this competition. The first contestant to press their buzzer and answer correctly will gain the power to eliminate a contestant from the other team. However, if the first person to buzz in answers wrongly, then they will be eliminated themselves. When only one team remains, whether it's only one person or all six, that team will win. Now, do you want to know what the reward is?" Chris explained before changing his tone to be ominous, with a hint of excitement in it. As the contestants cheered in anticipation, Chris revealed what they would be fighting for. "It's a clothes wash!"

To this, every contestant gasped in pure ecstasy, all of them desperate for this reward as they had been living in their own filth for the entirety of the competition thus far. As they all began to fantasise about how nice it would feel to have freshly washed and dried clothes, determination entered all of their hearts and they glanced at each other, noticing in their eyes how much everyone wanted to win.

"That's right! The winning tribe will have every article of clothing they own washed and dried, not that you deserve it." Chris said, noticing how happy everyone was and having to put in a snarky comment at the last moment.

However, everyone was too excited to take notice, instead focusing on winning the challenge, trying to force their brains to remember every single aspect of the game so far, such as the eliminated contestants, the blindsides, the immunity idol clues, where they were found, and even where they built their shelters. As they all continued to retrace everything they vaguely remembered, Chris turned to the Attackers.

"Attackers, as only six contestants from each team can compete, please select one of your members to sit out of this challenge. Remember, whoever sits out cannot sit out in the immunity challenge tomorrow." Chris informed, his voice now calm and serious.

The Attackers huddled together and began whispering to each other for about a minute, before eventually deciding that Sasha would sit out. As the timid girl walked a distance away and sat on a nearby bench, the remaining six contestants of the Attackers and the whole tribe of Defenders stepped onto a podium, readying themselves for the challenge, observing their opponents closely.

 **Members of the Attackers remaining: Miles, Scar, Griff, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie.**

 **Members of the Defenders remaining: Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Brooke and Gabby.**

"Is everyone ready?" Chris asked. When his question was met with a choir of agreement, Chris continued. "Then the challenge will now begin."

As the twelve contestants competing waited anxiously for the host to read out the first question, their fingers itching, knowing they would have to be fast on the buzzer if they wanted to win the clothes wash, they watched the contestants they were fighting against, noticing that they were all the same. Everyone was incredibly determined to win the reward, and nobody was going to give up without a fight. When Chris began to speak after a long silence, everyone's ears perked up and they turned to face him, a pang of nerves igniting deep inside their bodies.

"Question One. Who was the fourth person introduced when you all arrived on the boat in the very first episode?" Chris questioned. Instantly, someone buzzed.

"It was Gabby." Scar answered in a calm and composed manner, slowly removing his hand from the buzzer. As everyone stared in surprise, nobody else knowing the answer and expecting nobody else to, Chris, who looked equally as shocked, glanced down at the answer on the card he was holding and gave an affirmative nod.

"Correct. Who would you like to eliminate?" Chris offered, to which Scar looked at every contestant on the Defenders one by one.

"Oswald." Scar replied simply, resulting in Oswald feeling slightly irritated despite not showing it, knowing he would undoubtedly be the best at the challenge. As Oswald stepped down from the podium, the rest of the contestants on the Defenders glanced at each other, knowing that Scar was a big threat and they would need to get rid of him as soon as possible before he eliminated them all first. On the opposite side, the Attackers felt slightly more relieved.

"Question Two. How many original tribes were there to start with, and what were the names of these tribes?"

"Four. The Sky, Sea, Sand and Serenity Tribes." Scar once again answered first, his response on the buzzer seemingly lightning fast. As the contestants once again reacted with shock, and some of them with worry, Chris gave another nod, signifying he was correct again. "Gabby."

"Of course." Gabby scowled, jumping down from her podium and storming away, but not before giving Scar a hateful glare which he ignored, no emotion on his face whatsoever.

"Question Three. Who was the first male eliminated from the competition?"

"Mike!" Brooke exclaimed, slamming her hand down on the buzzer, ecstatic that she had made it before Scar, remembering her temporary friendship with Mike Jones, who was eliminated during the second day of the competition. "I want to eliminate Scar."

To this, Scar expressed no anger or frustration, instead calmly stepping down from his podium and joining Sasha, Gabby and Oswald at the bench, all of them having been intently watching the challenge unfold thus far. The members of the Defenders still in the challenge shared grateful looks with Brooke, their hope of winning now being reinstated with Scar's eventual elimination.

"Question Four. What was the immunity challenge on day six?"

"We had to, um...we..." Kevin stammered, having simply pressed the buzzer on the spur of the moment without really thinking about the question beforehand, desperate to prove to the other tribe and his own that he was strong. As he continued to hesitate, with his team growing more and more anxious that he had made a mistake in offering to answer the question, Kevin's eyes landed on Rebekah, noticing that she was giving him a warm, supportive smile, despite her being on the other team, filling him with motivation. "Didn't we have to...um, like, hold onto a pole and try to stop the other tribe from dragging us past the white line...?"

"...Incorrect." Chris announced, a frown crossing his face. As the colour vanished from Kevin's face, knowing what it meant, his tribe gave sighs of disappointment. "Kevin, as you answered the question incorrectly, you have eliminated yourself from the challenge. The immunity challenge you explained was day four's immunity challenge."

As Kevin joined the eliminated contestants at the bench, Gabby, even though she felt extreme frustration towards him for pressing the buzzer even though he didn't know the answer, knew she had to keep up her facade of kindness for the time being to further persuade Kevin into mistakenly believing that she had changed. So, she softly placed her hand on Kevin's leg in an attempt to reassure him. As soon as she did, however, Oswald noticed, a look of concern and suspicion glazing over his eyes.

 **Members of the Attackers remaining: Miles, Griff, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie.**

 **Members of the Defenders remaining: Connor, Zane and Brooke.**

"Question Five." Chris continued after a few moments of waiting. "How many contestants remain from the original Sea Tribe?"

"Three! Miles, Brooke and myself, unfortunately." Rebekah said coldly and spitefully, a tone of cool anger in her voice as she narrowed her eyes at Miles before twisting her head to look at Brooke. While Miles responded by staring back at Rebekah in silence, his face vacant of expression, Brooke, who had recently forgotten about her manipulation of Rebekah and Olivia, resulting in the latter's elimination, uncomfortably looked downwards, avoiding Rebekah's gaze and hoping she would never have to observe such anger ever again.

"Correct! Who would you like to eliminate?" Chris asked, even though he, along with almost every other contestant, already knew who's name she was going to say.

"Brooke." Rebekah spat, resulting in Brooke awkwardly jumping down from her podium, feeling ashamed of herself as she sat down on the bench, along with feeling worried that the remainder of the tribe would be unable to prevail in the challenge.

"Question Six. Which of the original four tribes still has the most contestants remaining in the competition?" Chris asked, causing the seven contestants still fighting for the reward to all fall dead silent, all of them thinking, none of them pressing the buzzer. The contestants on the bench waited in suspenseful anticipation, hoping that a contestant from their tribe would be the first to answer, and correctly.

"Um, it's the Sea Tribe, right? Miles, Brooke and Rebekah?" Jackie guessed, unsure, throwing out an assumption as she couldn't remember how many people came from each tribe.

"Incorrect. The correct answer is the Sand Tribe and the Serenity Tribe; four contestants still remain from each. Kevin, Zane, Gabby and Sasha from the Sand Tribe, and Connor, Jackie, Oswald and Scar from the Serenity Tribe." Chris corrected, and Jackie's cheeks glowed red from humiliation as she realised that her very own tribe was the correct answer.

As she hopped down from her podium and landed gracefully in the sand, she flashed an apologetic yet hopeful smile to the four remaining contestants on her team before heading over to the bench and sitting down, leaning forward anxiously as she watched the rest of the challenge progress.

"Now that you've all witnessed two contestants be eliminated due to incorrect answers, I hope you'll all have a long think before pressing your buzzer next." Chris warned, a look of intensity glowing in his eye, all humour now having vanished from his face which unnerved the contestants slightly as they held their hands on their buzzers, their nerves flaring. "Question Seven. Which team won the very first reward challenge, and what was the reward?"

"The Serenity Tribe won, and the reward was a bed." Connor replied quickly, licking his lips nervously, confident in his answer but still feeling anxious that he overlooked something. As Chris gave a nod, signifying he was right, Connor's worries dissolved and he couldn't help smiling when he heard his tribe cheering for him. "Um, I'll eliminate...Arianna. Sorry."

Arianna grumbled slightly, feeling annoyed that she had been eliminated before she could even answer a question. As she walked towards the bench, she felt the eyes of those who had already been eliminated glued to her, and she struggled not to shout at them that she, at least, made it further than them. She sat down and turned her head towards the ocean as she struggled to calm down and keep up her nice girl persona.

"Now, three remain from the Attackers; Miles, Griff and Rebekah, two of them yet to answer a question, and two remain from the Defenders; Connor and Zane, with one of them yet to answer. With the challenge now almost neck and neck, which team will win the reward?" Chris announced to keep the suspense, as the contestants from the two different teams eyed each other from their podiums. "Question Eight. Which of the five of you have gone to the most bonfire ceremonies?"

Another silence ensued as everyone's brains began to race, retracing every elimination they had been to and wondering if the answer was themselves, if they had gone to the most eliminations yet survived. As they thought as hard as they could, they realised with an uncomfortable sensation that the answer would likely tell the contestants sitting on the bench and those still on the podiums who was one of the strongest and smartest competitors in the game; the person who, out of the five, had outlasted the most eliminations and lived to tell the tale, at least for the time being.

"It's...myself, and...Rebekah, correct? I believe we've both been to the bonfire area three times each." Miles concluded slowly, causing Connor and Zane to look at Chris in fear while Rebekah and Griff glanced at the host with hope shining dimly in their eyes.

"...Correct. Well done, Miles, I wasn't expecting anybody to get that one right." Chris said, his eyes widened slightly in surprise, with admiration also evident inside his orbs of vision. "Who would you like to eliminate?"

"..." Miles stared at the two remaining contestants on the Defenders, Zane and Connor, wondering who would be most beneficial to his tribe if they were left on their own. He originally decided on Zane, as he hadn't answered a single question, but just as he was about to say that aloud he glanced at Connor, and realised that, when he answered question seven, he was evidently nervous, and that would undoubtedly get worse if he was left on his own, resulting in him potentially messing up. "I'll eliminate Zane."

Zane frowned slightly, disappointed in his performance in that challenge as he had made it incredibly far but hadn't answered any questions. He jumped off his podium onto the sand and joined the bench of losers which only grew longer with every passing question. The contestants sitting on the bench were now all anxious albeit excited, knowing how close the challenge was to being over and hoping their respective tribe would win.

 **Members of the Attackers remaining: Miles, Griff and Rebekah.**

 **Members of the Defenders remaining: Connor.**

"Question Nine." Chris continued as he observed the contestants still competing closely. "Which of the three tribes won the third immunity challenge, and avoided elimination in the early stages of the competition?"

"Was it the Serenity Tribe?" Griff asked quickly. Connor's heart began to race in fear as he glanced at Chris, realising with horror that, if the answer was right, then the only person left from his tribe who could be eliminated from the challenge was him. Everyone on the bench leaned forward in anticipation, none of them remembering who had won the challenge.

"Wrong." Chris announced, relieving half of the contestants while devastating the other half, as they all realised the challenge was not yet over. As Griff shook his head at his own answer, apologising quietly to Miles and Rebekah, he jumped off his podium. "The actual winning tribe was the Sand Tribe, who then chose the Serenity Tribe to also have immunity, leaving the Sky Tribe to go to the elimination area."

Miles and Rebekah shared a quick glance, realising that, even though they both despised each other, if they wanted to win the reward challenge they would need to subside the hate they both felt for the time being and focus on the questions. They both stared at Connor, their final opponent, knowing that, to win, they simply had to answer a question correctly, whether it was themselves or their temporary ally. Connor, in return, knew that he either had to get two questions in a row correct, or rely on the other two to get a question wrong.

"Question Ten, potentially the final question. Name every contestant who has been eliminated so far, in order." Chris stated, and the contestants gasped slightly at the intensity of the inquiry, all of them glancing between Connor and Miles and Rebekah to see who would attempt it by pressing their hand on the buzzer. After a short wait, Connor tentatively pressed the buzzer, having now broken out into a nervous sweat.

"Um, Mike was first, then...Olivia..." Connor began to name off the contestants hesitantly, cringing every time he listed off someone just in case he mixed up the order and embarrassed himself or even potentially named someone who wasn't even in the competition to begin with. However, he forced himself to focus, knowing this was for his tribe. "Then, I think it was Dale...then Hudson? Oh geez, I probably got them the wrong way around...um, well, I think Jayna was eliminated some point around then, yeah...then...it was Jackie? Then after that it was Adam, and he's the most recent."

As Connor finished, and looked at Chris for a response, ignoring everyone sitting on the bench behind him and also not looking at Miles and Rebekah's expressions, knowing that it would betray whether he had gotten it right or completely butchered the order, Chris looked down at the card he was holding, counting off the names in his head one by one. After he reached the final name, he looked up at Connor, remaining silent for a few more moments to create further suspense.

"Correct." Chris murmured after the wait, causing the Defenders to erupt into cheers and the Attackers to slip into a further depression, beginning to lose hope rapidly as they realised that it was now going to be a one-on-one between Connor and whoever he chose to stay in the challenge. As if reading everybody's minds, Chris continued soon after. "Who would you like to eliminate? Choose wisely; whoever you don't choose will be your final opponent."

"...Miles." Connor said, believing him to be the most intelligent as he got the question right about who had been to the most eliminations during the competition so far. Miles gave a respectful nod before stepping down from the platform, looking back at Rebekah to see her still glaring at him, her hate having not subsided, not even for a moment.

Miles reached the bench and sat down, and the eleven contestants resting on the bench stared, with their hearts in their mouths, at the two contestants still in the challenge; Connor and Rebekah, both of them staring at each other intently, knowing that the final question would decide which tribe won the reward, whether the question was answered correctly or wrongly.

"Question Eleven; the final question. Get this right, and you win the game. Get it wrong, and your opponent wins." Chris spoke generally to both Connor and Rebekah at the same time. Once again, the two looked at each other, their faces betraying nothing, but inside both of them felt incredibly nervous, not wanting to get it wrong. "Earlier, I asked you who, of the five contestants Rebekah, Connor, Miles, Griff and Zane, had been to the most eliminations. But now, I'd like to know...who, out of every contestant in this season, has received the most votes? I'll give you both one minute to answer. If neither of you answer within that time, then neither tribe will win the reward."

Connor and Rebekah reacted differently; while Connor glanced down at the ground as he thought about every elimination he had been to so far, and who had the most votes collectively, Rebekah looked up at the sky and began to think about who, generally, had the worst attitude and thus would receive the most votes. However, when fifty seconds had passed, both of them had come to a blank. Knowing that, if one of them didn't attempt it then nobody would win, Rebekah quickly slammed her fist down on the button just before the time ran out. Every contestant turned to look at her, including Chris.

"Is it Gabby?" Rebekah guessed, assuming that, because she was so boisterous and obnoxious, people would want her eliminated. As Gabby's mouth dropped open in shock, feeling slightly offended and angry, Chris waited a few moments until the tension was as prominent in the air as it possibly could be before answering.

"Incorrect. Connor, and thus the Defenders, win the reward challenge and the clothes wash!" Chris announced loudly, resulting in the Defenders jumping up and down happily and cheering. Connor, ecstatic, leapt down from his podium to join his tribe in their celebrations. The Attackers, meanwhile, all shared expressions of disappointment and frustration, all of them desperate for the clothes wash and knowing with a miserable feeling that they would have to live in their sweaty clothes, using the ocean to clean them occasionally, potentially until the end of the competition. "You were close with your answer, Rebekah. Gabby has received six votes, which is the second most, but unfortunately for you and your tribe there's one person who's gained more; Miles, with seven votes."

As Rebekah gave a small nod to Chris' explanation, feeling as if she wasn't able to meet the eyes of her tribemates, she stepped down from the podium and joined her tribe, apologising profusely to which they reassured her, telling her that there was no need for her to apologise as she had made it the furthest out of anyone else on their tribe.

When the two tribes eventually calmed down, whether they had temporarily stopped cheering and congratulating each other or slightly recovered from their bitter disappointment at having lost, Chris dismissed them and they split up, the Attackers heading down one pathway, the atmosphere tense, awkward and silent, and the Defenders heading down another, everyone smiling, cheering, high-fiving and chatting joyfully.

 **...**

 **The Attackers _(Miles, Scar, Griff, Sasha, Rebekah, Arianna and Jackie)_**

Miles sat in the hidden alliance clearing he shared with Arianna, Sasha and very recently Scar, the latter of which he was currently sitting opposite to, both of them perching on logs, staring at each other in utter silence. Neither of them made a single attempt to talk to each other, not even trying small talk such as discussing the weather or the recent challenge, resulting in an incredibly awkward and tense atmosphere that only got worse by the second.

Miles was staring at the ground, feeling increasingly more and more uncomfortable and irritated with the fact that Scar was part of his alliance. Every time he thought about this, he glanced up slightly to find Scar staring at him, resulting in him quickly looking back down and wondering if Scar had actually stopped looking at him at all. As soon as he walked into the alliance clearing and noticed Scar there a few minutes ago, he had instantly began thinking of a method to eliminate him, but realised every time, with a light pang of despair, that Scar was unfortunately a necessity in his alliance and that he needed him to make it a possibility for Miles to reach the merge, as if he eliminated him then he would quickly lose majority in the tribe, if Scar hadn't sneakily eliminated him on the sly first.

As Scar also sat on the log, silent as usual, observing Miles quietly and attempting to see through his eyes into his mind behind, he began to think about why he was actually sitting in the clearing at that moment, and not on top of his tree, relaxing alone, isolated as he preferred to be. He retraced his mental steps, back to when Sasha had timidly and nervously asked him if he wanted to be in the alliance. Originally, his response was a firm no, as, like he told Jackie, he had no intention or want to be in any alliances anymore for the entirety of the game, much preferring to be on his own where he knew for certain that he wouldn't be betrayed, even if he could be eliminated swiftly upon a single challenge loss.

However, after hearing that Miles was a member of the alliance, Scar had a quick change of mind, seeing it as an opportunity to eliminate him by informing Arianna and Sasha of what he was truly like, his true personality and ambitions. He had already told Arianna that Miles wasn't who he portrayed himself to be, but he could easily tell that Arianna hadn't taken him seriously at all, while Sasha would likely be easy to persuade. Scar, as he stared at Miles, who was only a single metre away from him, knew that there was nothing he wanted more than for him to be eliminated, and that he wouldn't stop until he was out of the competition for good. So, he agreed to join the alliance.

"It's a shame we lost the challenge. Maybe if we all cooperated better and talked to each other more at camp then we'd know more about each other and what we've all been through since the start of the game." Miles murmured, his eyes flicking up to meet Scar's, obviously pointing out the fact that Scar was always silent and alone and never spoke to anyone, subliminally blaming Scar for the Attackers' loss.

"...Yes." Scar replied simply and bluntly, his empty eyes that lacked any emotion continuing to gaze at Miles, unfazed by his ominous insult. In response, Miles stared at him, expecting more, resulting in another tense silence until Miles slowly continued the conversation, hoping with whatever faith in Scar he had left that he could potentially manipulate him, even though he was sure that it was almost impossible.

"I'm glad you're part of the alliance, Scar." Miles continued calmly, continuing to look directly into Scar's eyes, not intimidated by him in the slightest and proving it strongly. "We needed a strong, physically able person and you fit the gap perfectly."

"...Yes." Scar repeated again, almost sternly, staring at Miles, the look in his eye seeming as if he was challenging him, willing him to get angry. But Miles was smarter than that. He knew that, to win the game, he would need to stay under control at all times and those who let their anger get the best of them would never win.

Miles continued to stare at Scar, realising that it would be completely impossible to manipulate and control him if he only gave him one-word answers. So, he chose a different approach, and decided to try antagonising Scar slightly.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you join the alliance? You don't seem to be the alliance type." Miles challenged, his lips remaining straight, not flicking up in a smile or down in a frown at all. Scar continued to look at Miles for a few moments in silence.

"I joined the alliance to destroy you." Scar replied as if what he said meant absolutely nothing, telling the truth as he hated liars, believing them to be cowards and lying to be a complete waste of time.

For possibly the first time in the entire competition thus far, Miles was stunned into silence, shocked that Scar was so honest with him. Looking at Scar, observing his face for any hint of humour which he couldn't find, Miles took a few moments to think of a response to Scar's open treason, now knowing for a certainty that Scar had the intention to sabotage him and eliminate him, likely as soon as possible.

"If you want to destroy me, then why did you bother joining my alliance?" Miles continued, his voice utterly calm and composed. "Why not just align with Jackie, Griff and Rebekah and vote me out? You'd have majority easily, so what's the point of being part of my alliance?"

"Because I want everyone in this competition to know who you really are. A deceitful, cunning, treacherous, manipulative, lying weasel." Scar answered briskly as soon as Miles stopped speaking, betraying a hint of anger which he usually kept firmly locked up inside his body, frustration in his eyes. However, he soon calmed down, his eyes instantly dulling back down to being empty. "If I just hopped onto Griff's alliance, then Arianna and Sasha would never know what you're truly like. Your true personality. Your real intentions. Your lack of loyalty and empathy. You'd be eliminated, and they'd be upset, miserable, thinking of you as a nice person that didn't deserve to be eliminated, and that would be that. That's how it would stay. No. I don't want that. I want every single person in this game to hate you for the traitor and deceiver you are, just like I do. Like Jayna did. When I'm finished with you, you'll have no more allies or friends left."

Miles stared at Scar in utter silence, unsure if it was because he didn't know how to answer or because he was still taking it all in. He watched as Scar stopped talking and didn't move a muscle, simply remaining rooted to the spot, staring at him with those cold albeit solemn eyes, and wondered how he could say all that with a monotone voice. As he continued to look at Scar, who stayed still, as if someone had hit a stop button on him, unblinking, Miles realised there was a growing feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. With a shift of discomfort, Miles took in that this was the first moment in the competition that he felt helpless, and that he didn't have a plan to back himself up with. He understood that the only way to stop everyone from finding out about what he was really like was to persuade Scar.

Making one last ditch attempt to convince and intimidate Scar, Miles slowly leaned forward from his place on the log until his face was but inches away from Scar's. Still, the silent teenager made no attempt to move away, staying stock still, his eyes being the only part of his body that moved as he trailed Miles' every action. When Miles was just a few inches away, and his eyes were attempting to burn through Scar's to the core of his mind, he spoke again.

"Let me riddle you this, Scar. Who would everyone in the tribe believe, do you think? The silent, creepy, weird, anti-social, unnerving boy, who spends every second of every day hiding up in trees, watching people, or the sociable, friendly, kind, open, sympathetic one, who only wants the best for everybody in his tribe? Who would everyone believe, hm?" Miles asked slowly, drawing out every single word almost like a snake's hiss as he leaned his face even closer to Scar's until their noses were almost touching. "Scar, I'm just going to warn you. If you want to drag your emotionless, empty shell of what should be a functioning human any further into this competition, then I suggest you drop this idea now. Everyone who's ever crossed me has been eliminated. Just remember that. Mike...Olivia...and Jayna. Everybody."

Scar continued to stare at Miles, a glimmer of fury in his regularly mysterious eyes, his rage for him having now reached new heights. Miles, meanwhile, fell silent, slowly leaning back and sitting down on the log casually and calmly, glancing back at Scar with a pressuring look in his eyes, as if encouraging him to tell everybody about what he was really like. However, the glaze of rage in Scar's eyes soon subsided, being replaced with a hint of ambition and determination.

"We'll see." He answered quietly, and the two continued to stare at each other once more, the tension in the air streaking up to the sky, joining the birds which flew around the bird, chirping cheerfully, free as they flapped around the island.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"Scar has been an utter pain since I first entered the Serenity Tribe, after the Sea Tribe was disbanded. But now that he knows what I'm really like, my true ambitions and goals in this game, he's become an even greater threat and a sharper thorn in my side. Not that there weren't enough thorns in my side already. At first, I believed that I could handle it, as Scar doesn't have any allies and nobody wishes to be aligned with him, due to the obvious flaws with his personality and actions. However, adding Rebekah into the picture, who also knows what I'm like...I genuinely fear that my position and place in this tribe may be at extreme risk, and thus my spot in the competition overall. At least until the merge, anyway, when I can hopefully regroup with Oswald and Brooke and take control of the game once and for all, along with the allies the two may have picked up along the way." Miles spoke logically and calmly, scratching the back of his neck, betraying no worry or fear whatsoever in his facial expressions or his voice, despite his words saying otherwise, believing fear to be a sign of weakness. "However, for me to reach the merge in the first place, I need to get rid of the threat that Scar creates simply by existing, and thus, in simpler words, I need to eliminate Scar, whether he's in my alliance or not."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Charles Hellman**

 **"I'm good at reading people. it's been one of my best talents since I was young. When I looked into Miles' eyes...deep into those mysterious, wavy circles that hide so many things...I saw something I've never seen before. Not in his eyes, anyway; fear. Fear and worry. No matter how much he may object to it, or evade it, I know that Miles is intimidated by me. I was thinking about it, and I realised; I'm likely the very first obstacle in his path of success, at least so far, and I intend to use that to my advantage. I'm going to use the intimidation I have on Miles to overthrow his immense power of manipulation and get him out of this game for good, so he can never use his intelligence and deception to use others ever again." Scar spoke, his voice and face still lacking any emotion, his voice empty and dry, his eyes trained firmly on the camera lens, unblinking as he spoke, creating an incredibly unnerving and frightening aura around him.**

 **...**

While Miles and Scar had their suspenseful, tense conversation while they sat in their alliance clearing waiting for Arianna and Sasha to arrive, the two girls in question were both walking together along a clustered forest trail, bushes and shrubbery having overgrown out of control around them, creating the veil of a jungle they were struggling to push through. The two had decided to walk together because Sasha, as she was still very new to the alliance, was still unsure of how to get there and was frightened of getting lost, and also because they hadn't had much time to get to know each other yet and they thought of it as a prime opportunity to talk to each other one-on-one.

As they walked, a comfortable silence settling around them as the two listened to the sounds of nature, Arianna still pretending to be sweet and friendly, Sasha turned to her new ally, a small, genuine smile dusting faintly on her lips.

"You did really well in the challenge. I mean, you made it super far! I couldn't help watching you for most of it..." Sasha murmured sheepishly, playing with her hands and looking down at her feet. Arianna looked at her and smiled humbly. However, Sasha's smile faded away in the form of a sigh. "I never could have done the challenge, not in a million years. I would've gotten way too nervous to answer anything, and if I did press the buzzer, I bet that as soon as I did the answer would fly out of my head, leaving me stuttering like a nervous idiot...I probably would've dragged the team down..."

While Arianna, in her head, completely agreed with Sasha, believing that the 'twitchy gnome' would have brought the team down and caused them to lose even harder than they already did, she knew that she had to appeal to Sasha and get her to trust her fully, so that she remained on her side whenever she needed it. Arianna knew that if she revealed her true personality to her, her angry, irritable, cruel, mocking nature, then it would demolish all fake friendship the two held. So, continuing to pretend she was someone she wasn't, she softy placed her hand on Sasha's shoulder in support.

"Sasha, you would've been great. I know you would. I can tell you're really intelligent, so you would've excelled in the reward challenge. I bet you were desperate to jump up and down and scream out every answer, weren't you?" Arianna said playfully and reassuringly, her voice soft and gentle, smiling warmly at the timid girl who giggled while shaking her head tentatively. "Sasha, if you competed in the challenge and somebody else sat out, preferably me, I know we would've won that clothes wash."

"T-thank you, Arianna..." Sasha mumbled timidly and awkwardly, feeling warm and fuzzy, sensing her cheeks beginning to burn and redden from embarrassment. Good embarrassment, however, that she couldn't help enjoying. "You're so kind, but you should give your support to other people. I don't deserve any of it..."

"What do you mean?" Arianna asked, tilting her head to the side in feigned confusion. "You're so sweet! Of course you deserve kindness and support! In fact, you're probably the one in this competition who deserves the most! I bet you're friendly to everyone, even those who you don't like."

"I'm not sure...I-I mean...um..." Sasha stammered, feeling a fresh wave of daily shame washing over her as she realised that she was going to have to discuss her problems, which she usually kept locked up tight, as she liked it, believing herself to not be important enough for people to care about her or take notice of her. "Almost everyone in the competition, um, so far...except for you and Miles of course, you two have been l-lovely, and my best f-friend Ingrid, b-but she's gone...um, anyway, almost everyone hasn't...they haven't really been treating me...very nicely. I don't know, I just feel l-like, um, because everyone was treating me pretty much the same...like I'm incompetent and irrelevant...it was all...m-my fault, and that, maybe...I don't deserve kindness. I don't know...I probably s-sound like a total i-idiot. F-forget I said...a-anything..."

"Sasha, you shouldn't think that. The reason for why the majority of the people here haven't been very nice to you is likely because the stress and worry of the competition and the fear of being eliminated has gotten to their heads, and it's causing everyone to become paranoid and irritable. The possibility of being betrayed has warped everybody's minds and personalities; they're distrusting of almost anyone, which is why they've appeared to seem like they have no time for you, or that they don't like you." Arianna said, her hand still softly placed on her ally's shoulder, smiling at her when in reality she wanted to give Sasha a smack for being so pathetic and emotional constantly, beginning to reach her limit with having to console her at every moment of the day. "I can guarantee you that, outside of the competition, everyone is kind and friendly and would wanna spend loads of time with you!"

Arianna was spouting utter lies however, as her final sentence wasn't similar to her at all; in real life, Arianna was nothing but a spoilt, cruel, petty bully and brat who wanted the entire world to revolve around her, feeling no liking or respect for anyone, not even her family, who she would happily betray in a split second for gifts or money. However, her acting was professional and her speech was fluid, causing Sasha to instantly believe what she said without a slight thought or suspicion that she could be lying to her or using her.

"Thank you for trying to make me feel better, Arianna." Sasha said softly, her cheeks still a light shade of pink but beginning to fade as she grew more comfortable around the lying python who she believed to be a friendly flower of sweetness. However, the smile quickly contorted into a frown as her lips began to tremble. "But...I'm not s-sure about that, if you don't m-mind me saying...I don't think it's possible for anyone to change, and that means temporarily, even for a s-short amount of time, like the duration of this game...I mean, um...w-whoever's deceitful and manipulative in this game is p-probably...like that in real life as well...even though I really, r-really hope that isn't the case...it's hard to trust a-anyone nowadays...it seems like everybody's out for themselves, and nobody else...if there's one thing this game has done, it's opened my eyes to what the majority of p-people in this world are r-really like..."

As she spoke, Sasha suddenly realised how much she, herself, had actually developed since the beginning of the competition to that current moment. At the start, she was shy, fearful and timid, just like she was now, but there was a major difference; at the start, she was incredibly naive, and too trusting for her own good. Now, it was as if she had been through five wars and come out alive, but greatly scarred. She now trusted almost nobody, unless she felt that, deep in her heart, they were an honestly good, true person who cared about her, allowing her to feel the same for them. Licking her lips uncomfortably, Sasha realised that she was unsure if she enjoyed the person she was now, or if she would rather go back to how she used to be, when she was an image of pure innocence.

Arianna, as she listened to Sasha, struggled hard not to smirk or burst into cruel laughter at her comment where she prophesied that people couldn't change, which was the exact epitome of Arianna's strategy to get further into the competition, pretending to be a sweet, friendly, compassionate girl and then revealing, at the end when she won, what she was really like, surprising every single contestant who believed her to be somebody else. Evidently, she had been doing a brilliant job, as Sasha was pouring out her heart to Arianna which she would inevitably crush under her foot later on in the game when she was no longer necessary to her greater goals of succeeding and winning the grand prize.

However, once again reminding herself that she had to keep up her facade, at least for the time being, forcing herself to think about the satisfaction she would feel when she revealed to everybody at the end that she was actually a spoilt, selfish brat, a sad, sympathetic expression glazed over Arianna's lips, her hand on Sasha's shoulder tightening slightly, as if in concern.

"Why are you so upset, Sasha? Has something bad happened to you in the game?" Arianna questioned. Noticing Sasha hesitating, stopping herself before she spilled private information, still unsure if she trusted Arianna completely, she continued. "You can trust me, Sasha. I promise."

"Okay. T-this is really hard for me to t-talk about, so if I s-stutter, I'm sorry but...I'd much rather just f-forget about this, if I'm being h-honest. Rebekah, one of the girls in our tribe, she...um, she...she used and manipulated m-me. She used my naivete to her cruel, sadistic a-advantage, and controlled me...she's the r-reason for why I've grown to be s-so distrusting of people before I fully get to k-know them. I thought I knew Rebekah...but...I was wrong." Sasha revealed, her voice pained, squeezing her eyes shut to stop herself from growing teary eyed and humiliating herself in front of her new ally. However, after a few moments, she slowly opened them and looked at Arianna, smiling slightly. "That's why I m-made friends with you, Arianna. You and Miles. I can tell that you both are f-friendly and kind...I just know it."

Despite wanting to be sick at the disgustingly heartwarming comment, Arianna pushed the feeling to the back of her mind for a moment as she realised that, upon hearing Miles' name, a small seed of discomfort began to grow in the pit of her stomach. However, she didn't show it, keeping the feeling hidden, subconsciously thinking back to Scar's warning which she ignored at the time. However, now that Scar was actually part of the alliance which Miles was also a part of, Arianna concluded that Scar was simply lying because he was worried about being on his own and he wanted to break up other people to reduce the chances of him being eliminated. So, she ignored the feeling of dread in her stomach when she thought about Miles.

"Miles does seem to be a really friendly person." Arianna said in agreement to Sasha's comment, nodding and smiling, continuing to fake her personality. "I'm really glad that I'm friends with him. I've grown quite close to him too, even though we've only been in an alliance together for a few days, so there's no way I'm ever going to believe the foul rumours that are circulating around him."

Before Arianna's final sentence, Sasha had felt very comfortable and happy talking to and spending time with Arianna, as she found her to be a very interesting and empathetic person. However, as soon as she mentioned the 'foul rumours' revolving around Miles, Sasha felt her stomach do a triple back flip as her mind was thrown into a blender of worry, instantly remembering what Rebekah told her. Feeling her body tense up, Sasha slowly looked at Arianna.

"Arianna...um, who...who told you about the rumours?" Sasha asked nervously, feeling her body judder slightly and growing angry with herself for becoming so stressed out within seconds. When Arianna answered that Scar was the one who told her the rumours about Miles, Sasha grew slightly confused, her fears diminishing for the time being. "Why would Scar spread rumours about Miles and then join our alliance? That doesn't make sense to me...does it make sense to you?"

"I completely agree with you. That's why I think he's lying." Arianna offered simply, falling into a genuine conversation with her ally, no longer pretending to be friendly and sweet as she was truly concerned about these rumours, hoping they were fake. To this, Sasha gave a nod, but the worried look plastered on her face was still evident.

"But...um, I'm not t-trying to worry you, um, or anything, but...I've...I've also heard rumours about Miles. From somebody else, not S-Scar. Rebekah. And...I'm just w-wondering, if two people have told us awful things about M-Miles...maybe they could be..." Sasha began, stammering and hesitating during and before every word, unable to finish her sentence as the thought of Miles, who she believed to be her new best friend, not being friendly and kind at all was too much for her to take.

"...What did Rebekah tell you about Miles?" Arianna asked quietly, glancing around quickly to make sure nobody was lurking around even though she was fairly sure nobody would be hanging around in the middle of the woods, except maybe Scar. As she waited for Sasha to answer, she realised that she felt genuinely uncomfortable and nervous for the first time in the competition, hoping that it would also be the last time as she didn't like feeling powerless.

"S-she told me that Miles is...um, manipulative, d-devious, really, really s-selfish and a huge liar..." Sasha mumbled, looking down at the ground as she felt herself begin to overreact, her breathing beginning to increase in speed as she desperately hoped that Miles wasn't who she was beginning to believe him to be, originally thinking of him as one of the very few honestly kind and genuinely friendly people in the competition. However, Sasha quickly composed herself and looked up at Arianna, speaking quickly. "But I didn't believe a single thing she said. I mean, how could I after she u-used me, r-right?"

"That's...exactly what Scar told me about Miles." Arianna admitted, a tone of undoubtedly dread in her voice, causing Sasha's heart to drop and a tsunami of worry to crash over her, threatening to wash her straight to the ground in a pool of weepy tears. As the two shared a glance, noticing the discomfort in both of their eyes, Arianna slowly continued. "Scar and Rebekah have never both been on the same tribe, so there's not even a chance that the two could have conspired together to take down Miles before they came here, and I've never spotted the two talking during the challenges either. I've never seen Scar talking to anyone! Also, Miles was with Rebekah back on the Sea Tribe, and Scar on the Serenity Tribe..."

Sasha, as she listened to Arianna list off more reasons for why Miles could actually be what Rebekah and Scar described him to be, began to feel a dark wisp of despair begin to wrap around her, constricting her with every passing second. She thought that she might have actually, finally, found someone in the game who was kind, honest and true. However, after hearing this, she began to think, with a lump growing in her throat, that maybe Ingrid really was her only true friend, and she eliminated her...

"Wait, hold on a second." Arianna said quickly out of nowhere, suddenly thinking of something, causing Sasha to look up, her eyes teary and red. "What if Rebekah and Scar started a secret alliance when we all first entered this tribe, when none of the rest of us were around, and they thought of the idea to spread false rumours about Miles around the camp to make it easier to eliminate him? Maybe they wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible because they both had personal vendettas with him, and they just didn't want him around anymore?"

"I-I mean...I wouldn't put it past Rebekah to do something that s-sneaky and petty..." Sasha mumbled coldly and icily, her eyes narrowing slightly in frustration, still holding an immense hate for her ex-ally, before her eyes softened again as she looked up at Arianna. However, with a pang of anxiety, Sasha realised that she was willing to agree with almost anything just so she wouldn't have to face up to the reality that Miles may not actually be the ideal friend she thought he was. Due to this, even though Arianna brought up a strong and logical point, Sasha couldn't stop herself from being nervous and worried, and soon began to feel herself growing emotional.

Even her vision, once again, began to cloud over with salty, wet tears, she noticed, through her distorted vision, Arianna's expression change from calm and tranquil to sudden, abrupt horror, her eyes widening and her mouth contorting into a circular shape. Instantly, Sasha felt even worse, quickly blinking away her tears.

"What? What is it?" Sasha asked quickly and nervously, fearing what her ally was about to say. Arianna, after a moment's hesitation, slowly began to speak.

"If Scar and Rebekah are in a secret alliance...then, logically, he would naturally join Rebekah's alliance, with Griff and Jackie, right? So, if that's the case, and they are in a hidden alliance, then why did he join ours?" Arianna pointed out, and Sasha's eyes slowly widened, the trembling of her body growing more feverish. "I mean, even if he joined our alliance to divert our suspicions that he and Rebekah could be in a secret alliance, which I can't see him doing anyway, there would be no point in doing that. He could just join Rebekah's alliance and have enough votes to get rid of Miles straightaway, couldn't he?"

Sasha, completely understanding what Arianna was suggesting; that Rebekah and Scar didn't conspire at all, and may not have even spoken to each other a single time during the competition, both of them simply individually believing that Miles was devious and manipulative, and pure evil, widened her eyes in utter worry, suddenly feeling paranoid and proceeding to glance around before shuffling closer to Arianna, feeling incredibly unsafe and vulnerable. As her nerves began to reach a peak, she quickly glanced at Arianna, needing some sort of reassurance if she was to calm down in any way.

"Should...should we trust Miles? We can t-trust him, right?" Sasha asked worriedly, stammering, hoping Arianna would tell her that they could, and that Scar and Rebekah were just lying and everything would be fine, with no need to fear.

However, when Arianna glanced down at her, and Sasha noticed the worry, concern and clueless feelings in her eyes, her knees began to feel weak as she realised that neither of them truly knew what to think, and whether they should trust Miles, be wary of him, or potentially even leave his alliance altogether.

 **Confessional: Sasha Gates**

 **"I...I can't believe this. I hope so badly this isn't true...I...I don't think I could take it if I found out that Miles is actually what Rebekah and Scar say he is; a sneaky, devious, manipulative, deceitful, treacherous, evil...I can't even b-bring myself to finish it. I just c-can't believe it. I-I mean, what am I supposed to believe? That the conversation him and I had by the o-ocean, where we talked about whether we p-preferred the ocean or the sky, was all f-fake?! I can't believe that! H-he was being so...genuine...and I really felt like we connected then as friends. But now...Scar's been saying bad things about Miles t-too? I thought Rebekah was just making things up because she was j-jealous or s-something, I don't know...but now...um...oh, I still don't know! I don't know what to think! Why is this game so impossible?! Why is everyone so sneaky and only out for themselves?!" Sasha cried, grabbing her hair as she began to fall into a panic attack, her breathing now incredibly fast as tears fell quickly from her face, her cheeks red and her body trembling.**

 **...**

Jackie tentatively and carefully manoeuvred through the woods, walking through clearing and clearing and around the many intertwined bushes and shrubbery, on a search for fresh fruit for the tribe. Her eyes were trained on the ground, making sure she didn't stumble or, even worse, trip and fall over on a tree root or potentially even a small forest animal.

She had a small metal bucket clasped between her hands which was filled with an assortment of fruit, such as apples, bananas and pears, creating a variety of colour sitting inside the silver holdall. She usually went on a different pathway when she picked fruit for the tribe, but she decided that, because lately the amount of fruit on the trees and bushes on the pathway she usually walked along was thinning out, she went on a different pathway, instead departing deep into the woods. Fortunately, she had found lots of ripe, fresh fruit, filling her with happiness every time she found a piece.

As she suddenly came across a cherry tree, her mouth dropped open in joy, as she hadn't eaten a single cherry since she first arrived on the island, originally believing that cherries possibly didn't grow on the island they were playing on. A wide, ecstatic smile spread across her lips as she began picking them quickly and vigorously albeit being careful and gentle, stripping the tree of its cherries as if she hadn't eaten in months. As she continued putting them in her bucket, feeling happier and happier with every cherry she held, she thought about how happy and grateful her tribe would be when she came back with the regular fruit which had grown boring; apples and bananas, but a brand new delicacy, cherries.

However, just when she decided that she had picked enough for the time being, mentally tracing a pathway from the beach to the tree so she could go back whenever she wanted to pick more, she suddenly heard a low, quiet, murmuring and whispering of voices, whistling through the leaves of the trees. Jackie suddenly froze, her body halting completely, her ears perking up as she listened in silence.

Jackie, as she concentrated on hearing, originally believing the voices to be coming from the beach, suddenly realised, with a blow of utter shock and slight discomfort, that the mysterious voices were in fact coming from behind her; deeper in the woods, hidden behind a cluster of thick vines and shrubbery. Her eyes squinting slightly in confusion, Jackie slowly moved her hand away from the cherry tree, resting it down by her side, softly placing the bucket filled with fruit on the ground, being incredibly careful not to tip it over and make noise that could alert the voices of her presence. Listening even more attentively, Jackie soon differed some of the voices from the others and roughly decided that there were four people in the middle of a conversation.

Feeling a pang of worry growing gradually in her stomach, Jackie's curiosity and suspicions heightened, causing her to instinctively rise to her full height from her crouched position and carefully and slowly creep closer to the source of the noise, staring at the ground to make sure she didn't step on and break any branches or trip over. As she got closer and closer, the voices became clearer and clearer to her, but she still couldn't make out what they were saying or work out who the people actually were.

Jackie eventually reached the clearing, covered by a thick curtain of vines which stopped those sitting in the clearing from seeing her. Despite this, there was an opening in the vines which Jackie could peer through, thus being able to see fully into the clearing and find out who was hiding in the woods, away from everybody else, talking in hushed whispers.

Jackie glanced around the clearing, first noticing Miles, then Arianna sitting opposite him, then Sasha sitting next to him...then her breathing got caught in her throat and her eyes widened to see Scar also sitting with them, next to Arianna, in silence but listening attentively to what the other three were talking about secretively. A tornado of worry blew around her as she realised that the four of them were evidently in an alliance, meaning she, herself, was now in the minority in the tribe, causing her to feel incredibly fearful, worrying that she could potentially be eliminated the next time they lost if they chose her as their target.

Despite this, she wasn't as focused on that as she was on the fact that Scar was sitting there casually, as if he belonged with them and had been with them for days. Having seen enough, physically disgusted with Scar's lie, Jackie slowly and gingerly rose to her feet and stepped away from the clearing, the voices slowly growing quieter as she walked away and picked up her bucket of fruit, continuing to walk silently through the woods until she could no longer hear the voices.

As soon as she got a safe distance away that she knew nobody in the clearing would hear her, along with nobody who could be on the beach, Jackie let out a loud, high, abrupt scream of fury, unable to control her actions as she slung the bucket of fruit at a nearby tree. The bucket collided forcefully with the trunk of the tree, rebounding and landing on the floor, the fruit inside tumbling in every direction. However, Jackie couldn't care less, and she let out another scream as she fell to the floor, absolutely furious with Scar for lying to her, as he claimed that he had no interest in joining alliances but then happily up and went with Miles, Sasha and Arianna, all of whom he had barely or never spoken to before.

As Jackie hastily began picking up the fruit and ramming it carelessly back in the bucket, along with the cherries that, only a moment ago, she cared about and loved so much, her eyes narrowed in hot anger as her mind continued to think about Scar, wishing deeply to see his name written on the majority of the voting slips at the elimination, wanting to be the one who orchestrated his elimination personally.

 **Confessional: Jackie Ingez**

 **"I can't believe that lying, sneaky, devious, creepy, treacherous, lying little weasel! Who does he think he is, LYING to me, when all I did, _all I did_ was invite him to rejoin my alliance?! All I wanted was for us to be friends again, and in return he LIES to my face, claiming he doesn't want to join or be part of any more alliances, and then goes and joins the only other alliance in the tribe, the one that's specifically and obviously against mine! Why does he want me eliminated so badly?!" Jackie growled in utter fury, her fists clenched tightly, but managing to hold back from reacting, such as destroying the confessional, including the camera that was filming her, imagining it to be Scar's face. Suddenly, her eyes widened slightly as her face darkened in grim realisation. "I see what he's trying to do...oh, I see it full well...he wants me voted out, because I betrayed him back on the Serenity Tribe...he wants revenge. Well...if he's willing to lie to my face and attempt to deceive me, which didn't work, then I'm willing to do much, much worse to him in return. If Scar's out to get me, to eliminate me, then I will not stop until I get rid of him first. I tried to resolve the issues we have with each other...I tried so, so hard...and if he won't accept my hundreds of apologies...then I won't accept him in this competition, _especially_ if he's sneakily conspiring against me while hiding deep in the woods where he thinks I won't catch him or spot him! He's got on my last nerve, and he's going to feel my wrath. Period."**

 **...**

Scar, completely oblivious to the fact that Jackie had seen him with his new alliance, was walking briskly through the forest, his body almost completely rigid and straight, like a robot's. His eyes were trained directly on the pathway ahead of him, his eyes unblinking and empty, like always, getting distracted or sidetracked by absolutely nothing, not even looking at the bird that flew directly in front of his face just a few moments ago. He stepped calmly and composedly over the tree roots that threatened to trip him over, heading towards the clearing that he spent the vast majority of his time in, atop the tree.

After a few minutes of quick walking in a straight direction, he soon reached the clearing and continued to walk towards the tree, still not taking any notice of his surroundings. He reached the tree and wrapped his hand firmly around a thick, strong vine that began at the top of the tree and trailed down to the bottom, which was his usual method of climbing to reach the tree branch, high on the tree, which he usually sat on to pass the time when he wasn't competing or challenges, at the eliminations or, very recently, at the alliance meetings.

However, just as Scar began to climb the tree, lifting his legs up and placing them firmly on the natural footholds jutting out from the trunk, he suddenly got a rough, hard, angry shove to his side which caused him to let go of the tree, resulting in him sprawling to the ground, hitting the floor dangerously. As he wasn't expecting it in the slightest, he had no time to brace himself, and so when he hit the ground he became slightly winded, continuing to lie on the floor for a few moments to recover before slowly getting to his feet, his face still betraying no emotion whatsoever.

As he stood, ignoring the dirt, mud and plant roots now covering his clothes, he slowly turned around to see the perpetrator of the shove, his eyes resting on Jackie who stared at him in silence, fury evident in her eyes, clearly feeling no remorse at all for pushing him onto the ground in her irrational rage. After a few moments passed, she continued to stare at him in absolute silence, waiting for him to do something, whether it was question her on why she pushed him or potentially even shove her back, creating an incredibly tense atmosphere, the two of them being draped in suspense.

However, after staring at her for a few moments, Scar simply and slowly turned back towards the trunk, grabbing the vine once again and heaving his body upwards, attempting to climb it for the second time. After staring at him in utter bewilderment, her confidence and anger very temporarily diminishing, Jackie reminded herself of Scar's lie, becoming filled with rage again, and she quickly reached out, grabbing his clothes and yanking him hard with both hands, causing him to fall once again. However, this time, Scar was expecting it, and when he hit the ground he landed cleanly and gracefully on two feet, turning again to look at Jackie emptily. This time, though, Scar didn't try to climb the tree again, knowing Jackie would only continue to pull him down, creating an endless cycle of shoving and climbing.

"Scar, you...y-you're nothing but...you're nothing but a hypocrite!" Jackie stammered after another few moments of silence, instinctively pointing an accusing, shaking finger at him, her face darkening in rage, before it reached a limit and she began to scream. "You're just a sneaky, deceitful, lying, stupid, creepy, anti-social hypocrite and I hate you!"

"...Why?" Scar asked, completely unaffected by Jackie's anger, his eyes cool and relaxed, his face showing no emotion at all, portraying him as completely ignoring Jackie's bout of frustration. Due to the fact that his voice and face gave away not even a hint of interest, it only infuriated Jackie further.

"For once, _for once_ , can you just not pretend to be this calm, omniscient, emotionless person who only wants to live in solitude and avoid speaking to people for their entire life?!" Jackie continued to shout directly into Scar's solemn face, his eyes focused on her. "Just admit it! Admit that you're deceitful and selfish and that you only care about yourself!"

Scar didn't answer, simply keeping his eyes trained on Jackie, having absolutely no idea what she was talking about but not showing it, knowing that if he acted clueless then it would only anger her even more, resulting in her likely accusing him of being a liar as well. Jackie waited a few seconds for him to answer but, after realising he had no intention of speaking, quickly continued her rant.

"I saw you, Scar! I saw you in a clearing with Miles, Arianna and Sasha, talking about strategy!" Jackie raged, revealing that she had been there, in the clearing, spying on them while she was in the middle of picking fruit for the tribe, for _them_. Before Scar even had a chance to respond, Jackie quickly cut in, starting to overreact, her fury beginning to control her actions and speech as her fists clenched. "Don't even bother trying to weasel your way out of it, you liar. I know exactly what an alliance's conversations sound like, okay? You are definitely, _undoubtedly_ , part of their alliance!"

"Yes, I am part of their alliance." Scar replied simply and calmly, seeing no reason to lie because he believed that liars were cowards and were only delaying the inevitable, believing that the truth would always come out in the end, even if it resulted in a bad consequence for the honest person. "I'm not going to lie my way out of it, because lying only starts drama that everyone could do without."

Jackie, surprised at his honesty, widened her eyes slightly and averted her gaze, looking down at the ground, before her vision flicked back to rest on Scar's face, unsure what to say for a moment before her eyes hardened in realisation.

"If you don't believe in lying, then why did you tell me you have no intention or wish to join and be part of any alliances? That's a lie right there! Not only did you join an alliance behind my back after telling me you wouldn't, you joined an alliance with _Miles_ , who you've specifically warned me about in the past!" Jackie pointed out, her anger returning after temporarily subsiding.

Scar, once again, didn't answer, knowing that he couldn't tell Jackie the true reason for why he was a part of Miles' alliance, as knowing her she would promise not to say anything, but it would eventually come out and get back around to Miles, which would be a problem because, even though he, himself, knew, he likely wouldn't appreciate it if he knew Scar's plan was getting around the camp. That, or Jackie would simply slip up in conversation, and reveal the plan to somebody who would be better off not knowing, as she wasn't talented at keeping things hidden or secret. However, due to the fact that literally only moments ago he told Jackie that lying was pointless and that it starts unnecessary drama, and that he didn't want to lie to her and become a hypocrite, he simply remained silent, staring speechlessly at Jackie who waited intently for a response that wasn't coming.

"...Oh, I understand." Jackie mused slowly, believing that Scar's silence meant something else, something more sinister, slowly backing away from him. A sarcastic grin formed on her face as she, yet again, pointed a finger of accusation at him. "You didn't want me getting to Miles, Arianna and Sasha and joining their alliance first, did you? So you lied to me to turn me away from the opportunity, then leapt at them when my back was turned, knowing I couldn't get in your way and join them first!"

"Jackie, you're intelligent enough to know that isn't true. You know I wouldn't do something like that." Scar said, his voice still calm and tranquil but his eyes creasing slightly at Jackie's sudden irrationality and paranoia. As she listened to him, Jackie's suspicions quickly merged and distorted into anger.

"Can't you see?! I don't know what's true and what isn't anymore, Scar! I have no idea who I can trust, and who I can't, and everything is just so confusing in this game!" Jackie shouted at him, her eyes beginning to cloud over with tears that formed from a mix of anger and fear, before she took a deep breath, calming down slightly, eyeing Scar with a cool gaze. "Scar, if what I said isn't the case, and that you didn't lie to me just so you could be a part of Miles' alliance and not me, then you need to tell me the truth, and why you're actually part of the alliance, and now. Otherwise, I'm going to have to believe what I think."

Scar observed her face, noticing that, behind her angry and suspicious exterior, inside she was afraid and worried, hoping that what she thought wasn't really the case. Scar, as he looked at her, knew that he needed to get her away from him quickly, one way or another, and he also knew that if he remained silent yet again and refused to give her a response then she would grow quickly paranoid and eliminate him out of fear that he was targeting her before he could turn everyone against Miles and get them to vote him out. Knowing that he had to end the conversation now, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I didn't join your alliance because I never want to align with you in any way ever again, even if it were an alliance of a hundred people and we would never have to speak to each other. You're nothing but a deceitful, lying, cowardly traitor and you need to get it through your head that I'm never going to be in an alliance with you again. You wanted the truth, and you got it, now leave me alone." Scar muttered coldly and icily, a hint of anger evident in his voice, staring at Jackie, his gaze never altering. What he said wasn't a lie, as he truly didn't ever want to be in an alliance with Jackie again, as he didn't trust her, but he did exaggerate so she would leave him.

Upon hearing this, all evidence of anger vanished from Jackie's eyes and she took a step backwards, taken aback, stung by the hurtful comment. For a few moments, she had no idea how to respond, simply staring at Scar, looking for any indication in his eyes that he didn't mean it, or that he was simply giving it as an excuse, but all she saw in his eyes was stone cold honesty glaring back at her. After taking a deep breath, feeling her body slack slightly, her lips trembling slightly, her sadness quickly turned into a fiery storm of fury and she glared furiously at Scar, feeling nothing but loathing for him.

However, she didn't continue ranting, instead silently spinning on her heels and stalking out of the clearing, walking quickly, not looking back for a second, fearing that if she did she may end up attacking him in a frenzy of furious punches and smacks. After a few moments of tense walking, in which Scar watched her the entire time, she eventually disappeared from his sight, departing into the woods and taking the tension and suspense with her.

After staring into the empty forest for another few moments, Scar slowly turned and began climbing up the tree in silence, making sure his grips were strong before heaving himself upwards, feeling no guilt or regret for what he said, as if he did allow himself to feel sympathetic then it would eventually evaluate into weakness.

 **Confessional: Charles Hellman**

 **"There's no way I could tell Jackie why I actually joined the alliance, what my true intentions are. If I did, I would've regretted it within seconds. That girl has no loyalty at all inside her body, and she would undoubtedly switch sides in an instant just to suit her needs, or to help her get further into the competition, even if it would mean betraying one of her friends. If I told a contestant like that; a cunning, sneaky traitor like her about my plan, then I would deserve to be eliminated as it would be one of the most unintelligent, thoughtless things i could possibly do in a situation like this. But if I didn't tell her something, then she wouldn't have left me alone. She would've continued to pester me, over and over and over again, until she eventually managed to pry the information out of me by means of haggling. So, I ridiculed her. Hated on her. Disrespected her. But I had to; it was an absolute necessity. Now, she definitely loathes me with every fibre of her being and she'll probably be gunning to vote me out from this point on; it's just in her nature to be petty and irrational like that. But, as long as I can bide my time, and eliminate Miles first, then I no longer care. In my eyes, people like him are not worthy of winning anything; not even an elementary school egg and spoon race. Deceitful, manipulative liars like him shouldn't even be allowed freedom, never mind a grand prize of a year-long holiday and a million dollars." Scar spoke in a firm, confident voice; despite this, there was still a huge lack of any emotion on his face or in his eyes, causing him to appear to be creepy and disturbing.**

 **...**

Jackie, after leaving the woods following her confrontation with Scar, was sitting on a log by the campfire, stoking it with a twig in silence while her alliance, consisting of Rebekah and Griff who were sitting next to her, also on a log, involved in a calm, relaxing, lighthearted conversation that wasn't related to the game whatsoever, which was rare as usually everybody was focused solely on strategy. As Rebekah and Griff talked, laughing occasionally, Jackie slowly tuned them out until she was ignoring them completely, replacing their voices with her own thoughts, which were mostly comprised of methods of how she could eliminate Scar, feeling an unchanging hate for him ever since the most recent conversation the two shared.

With a pang of irritation, Jackie realised that, even if Rebekah and Griff both agreed to vote for Scar, they would still be in the minority unless they somehow managed to enlist the help of someone else who was in the tribe, which was very unlikely due to the fact that the other four tribemates, Miles, Sasha, Arianna and, annoyingly, Scar, were in an alliance together and were unlikely to betray each other just because Jackie had a grudge. Feeling despaired, Jackie slowly and tiredly placed her head in her hands, beginning to feel overwhelming sensations of worry and fear, wishing that the game was much easier than it was.

However, just as the feelings were about to become unbearable, and Jackie started thinking about throwing herself in the dancing flames only a foot in front of her, a sudden, loud, joyful laugh emanating from Rebekah and Griff quickly snapped her out of her thoughts. Jackie quickly glanced at the two of them, wishing with a small sigh that she could be as carefree as they were. As Griff eventually stopped chuckling, while Rebekah continued to giggle quietly, her body racking with humour, the former looked at Jackie, expecting her to be happily sharing their amusement but noticing, with confusion glazing over his eyes, that she had no mirth at all in her eyes. Instead, she was staring at the fire, her eyes empty, but at the same time filled with concern.

Feeling worried, Griff slowly glanced up at Rebekah, attracting her attention, then nodded his head towards Jackie. Not understanding what he meant at first, Rebekah tilted her head to the side in confusion, silently asking Griff to elaborate, before she realised soon after that he was worried about Jackie. Now getting it, Rebekah looked at Jackie to see her miserably stoking the fire, her movements slow and lacking any effort whatsoever. Instantly, she realised that something was wrong as Jackie was usually one of the most optimistic and happiest contestants in the overall game, and was usually willing to join in with any conversation. However, this Jackie was completely different; she was constantly staring at the fire, her eyes were empty and lacking the usual charm held within them, and she seemed to be completely ignoring Rebekah and Griff and every attempt they made at cheering her up.

Jackie, suddenly realising that the two were silent, quietly began to speak while continuing to stare at the fire.

"It's okay, you can keep going. Don't worry about me." She mused, her voice sounding drained and exhausted, her face pale. Upon hearing this, Rebekah and Griff exchanged another glance, their concern having not gone away in the slightest, if anything growing. Griff, after hesitating for a moment as he thought about what to say, looked back over to Jackie.

"There's no way we're just going to pretend there's nothing wrong, Jackie. You're our friend, and we wouldn't be true friends if we didn't listen to your problems and just ignored you like your existence doesn't mean anything." Griff noted, sternly but gentle at the same time, causing Jackie to tentatively look up at him. "Please tell us what's wrong; we hate to see you sitting there upset, and not being able to help. We promise we won't judge you."

"..." Jackie stared at them in silence for a moment, glancing between the two of them equally, blinking quickly as she quickly considered whether to divulge or evade. Eventually, she chose the former, believing Rebekah and Griff to truly be her friends, and gave a sigh before speaking. "A couple of days ago, before I joined this alliance, obviously, um, I asked Scar if we could be friends again, because we sorta had an, um, argument, I guess, back on the Serenity Tribe. I also asked if we could be in an alliance together again, but...he refused. He told me he didn't have any desire to be part of any alliances anymore for the entire time he's still in the competition. I believed him, and accepted that we couldn't be friends. But now...earlier today, when I was collecting fruit for us all...I caught him. He was with Sasha, Arianna and Miles, and they were all having an alliance chat, about their stupid strategies and targets...which means that Scar lied to my face and then joined the majority alliance! I've tried to calm down, but I just can't...I don't think I've ever felt this angry at anyone before in my entire life..."

As she listened to her, Rebekah, when she heard that Sasha was also with Miles, Arianna and Scar in their alliance clearing, instinctively looked down at the ground. Sasha was still a soft topic for her, and she knew that it would be a long time before she eventually got over the fact that she and Sasha could never be allies, or even friends, again, due to her ridiculous idea to manipulate and use the kindest, friendliest competitor in the entire game, using her sweet, naive personality to her traitorous advantage. However, it was made worse by the fact that Sasha was part of Miles' alliance, meaning she was likely completely under his spell, and probably being controlled much worse then she ever was when she was with Rebekah.

"That's awful of Scar...what went through his head to do something so cruel?" Griff murmured, frowning in discomfort while he continued to observe Jackie's face, noticing that it was stripped of all anger and covered in one simple emotion; sadness. "I can see how much this has affected you, Jackie, and I hate to see you like this. Is there anything, _anything_ that we can do to help?"

"...I want Scar eliminated." Jackie confirmed after another small sigh, looking up from the fire at Griff, seemingly having extracted the fire from the pit and put the flames in her eyes, which were burning with anger and rage, all sense of sadness and misery gone, having been burned by the embers of her frustration. "I can't stand to see him casually wandering around the island and sitting alone in his stupid tree, knowing that he lied straight to my face and isn't showing the slightest bit of guilt about it. I mean, what's wrong with him?! If he was voted out...if I saw his silent, creepy face be eliminated and get out of my life for good, I would honestly be in a much better place and I'd be able to focus on the competition so much easier."

"Jackie, I want nothing more than to keep you happy and content, and you too, Rebekah, because I genuinely think of you two as friends, not allies. But...right now, we have no chance of eliminating Scar, because every single other person in the tribe is in an alliance, and they have the majority while we're in the minority. Right now, we're unfortunately at their mercy. It's impossible for us to get rid of Scar because we just don't have the votes." Griff explained reasonably and fairly, still feeling guilty at having to reject Jackie's plead despite him being unable to do anything else.

Jackie stared at Griff, feeling her hope crack and crumble, turning into splinters that went up in the fire sitting next to her, but she knew he was right. Unless a miracle happened, they would be unable to vote out Scar, and Jackie would simply have to sit, unable to do anything while his alliance got rid of them one by one while Scar sat there, doing nothing, watching her leave the game with the most votes while knowing, without remorse, that it was all his fault. The thought of it filled Jackie with an irrational anger, and made her want to ignite a stick with fire and throw it at him, but she knew with a feeling of despair that there was absolutely nothing she could do to resolve the impossible problem.

However, just at that moment, the bushes nearby the campfire leading into the forest began to tremble and shiver, the leaves colliding against one another, telling the other three that somebody, the identity of whom they didn't know, was walking towards them from the woods. As the three watched, confused and suspicious, somebody emerged from the shrubbery after a few moments of waiting, looking at the alliance as if they had called him there, as if he was expected to be there, when in reality he had been hiding behind the bushes, listening to the whole exchange and taking in attentively everything important that was shared.

Miles.

Rebekah's body instinctively and reflexively stiffened as she laid her eyes on him, a dangerous anger flashing in her eyes. Jackie and Griff, however, did almost the opposite, looking at him in a perplexed manner, confused as to why he was there, staring at them in silence while he walked towards them, approaching them confidently as if he was welcome in their alliance circle. After walking a distance, Miles stopped a few metres away from them.

"I'll help you vote out Scar, if you want." He offered casually, as if he asked them whether they preferred apples or oranges, the reason for why he asked being that Scar heavily threatened his game and his place in the competition, making him want to see him gone as soon as possible.

After getting over their initial shock, the three members of the alliance reacted differently, their actions greatly differing. While Jackie's pale, distressed complexion immediately grew rosy and pink, a joyful, ecstatic smile breaking out across her face as she beamed at Miles, Griff seemed to be torn, glancing between Jackie and Rebekah as if wondering who's side he should take, and Rebekah's face instantly blackened like thunder as she stumbled to her feet, glaring ferociously at Miles.

"No!" Rebekah cried, pointing furiously at Miles. Shocked, Griff and Jackie turned to look at her, surprised, but Miles was expecting this, and he regarded her outburst with a calm, composed expression. "Who do you think you are?! First, you manipulated and controlled Sasha into mistakenly joining your side, and now you're betraying her only days later?! What goes through your head?!"

"I'm not betraying her." Miles replied coolly, his voice smooth, causing Rebekah to shudder, sickened at him always being so composed. "I'm simply switching sides temporarily to eliminate a mutual threat that all four of us share; Scar. After his elimination, I will return to my alliance, and leave you all to yours."

"You're lying! As soon as Scar's eliminated, you're instantly going to start trying to manipulate Jackie or Griff and turn them over to your side, so that your stupid alliance will get the majority in the tribe again! I know exactly what you're like, Miles, so stop trying to play the hero! You would never, not in a million years, put your luck into a tiebreaker. Unfortunately, you're just too strategic for that." Rebekah growled, her face transforming into multiple colours, going from black, to red, to purple, to black, rotating around the three continuously. Noticing how furious she was getting, Griff looked at her in concern, spotting how much her body was shaking. Jackie, on the other hand, glanced at Rebekah, almost lazily, not taking her warnings into account at all as she was so desperate to get rid of Scar that she would take any opportunity she could in order to eliminate him. "There's no way I'd ever, _ever_ align with you, even if it meant me being eliminated. You're just a using, manipulative, deceitful snake!"

Miles listened to all of this, his expression completely unchanging, staring at Rebekah and rivalling her furious gaze with cool, serene eyes, staying completely silent and not allowing himself to grow angry with Rebekah's spiteful insults. Sensing the extreme tension in the air, Griff slowly rose to his feet and carefully and gingerly placed his hand on Rebekah's shoulder, attempting to comfort her. As soon as she felt his touch, she spun around to face him, glaring at him furiously. Despite knowing that the anger was directed at Miles, but her eyes were simply on him, Griff was still startled and slightly frightened, but didn't allow himself to feel intimidated, slowly beginning to speak.

"I know you don't want to work with Miles, and it's probably the last thing you'd ever want to do in this game, maybe even in your life altogether, and I want you to know this; I don't want to be aligned with him, either. I believe everything, absolutely everything that you've told me about Miles, but here, right now, it's necessary that we look at the bigger picture. If we refuse his offer, if we don't agree to help him vote for Scar, then he might end up getting his alliance to target one of us instead, and because they have bigger numbers than us and they hold the majority in the tribe, then we'd be eliminated one by one. If we all want to stay in the game, we need to agree to this, Rebekah. Please." Griff pleaded quietly, talking secretively to his ally, almost whispering in her ear so that Miles, who was still standing a few metres away, wouldn't hear them.

However, despite listening intently, Rebekah showed no signs of being convinced, her irate eyes trained solely on Miles as if she feared he was going to do something dangerous. So, noticing that she hadn't been persuaded even the slightest, Miles decided to put in his two cents and 'aid' Griff in convincing Rebekah to temporarily align with him.

"Rebekah, I'm not threatening you here." Miles began, taking a step closer to her, his eyes now gleaming with malicious intent, which, as much as she tried to ignore it, gave Rebekah an intimidated sensation, causing her to temporarily avert her gaze from him. "But if you refuse to agree, and you don't vote for Scar, then I might accidentally slip up when writing Scar's name on my voting slip and unintentionally write yours on it instead, and I also might accidentally tell my alliance, including Scar, to vote for you at the next elimination. It's your choice, but you seem like a wise girl. I think you know what the sensible choice is."

Rebekah stared at Miles, completely gobsmacked, wondering if he truly did just threaten her in front of her entire alliance or if she just imagined it. Her anger for him reaching new heights, which she didn't even think was possible as she already loathed him greatly, but knowing that she couldn't act on her fury, Rebekah instead opted for a long, obnoxious sigh, folding her arms, glaring at him.

"You really are the most disgusting human being I've ever met in my entire life." Rebekah spat, ridiculing Miles as her eyes narrowed in pure hatred, beginning to wonder if she really would be able to stop herself from acting out, considering she had just been threatened and blackmailed in front of two other people in the tribe. Continuing to stare at him, her eyes narrowed even further, her body continuing to shake. "One day, Miles, you'll receive the worst karma you possibly can. Whether you get it in the game, like you being the victim of a huge, catastrophic blindside, or outside of the game, years from now, in the form of a deadly car crash."

When Rebekah finished, Griff and Jackie's eyes were wide with utter shock, completely speechless, having no idea what to say to resolve the situation or lower the tension in any way. Rebekah, feeling no remorse for what she said, not backing down nor hesitating, continued to stare at Miles, challenging him, willing him to betray even the slightest bit of emotion, wanting him to be hurt by what she said, knowing full well about what happened to him in the past.

However, on the outside, Miles continued to be completely calm, looking at Rebekah with his eyes clear and unaffected, which infuriated her further. However, on the inside, Miles was affected; he was angry, furious even, that she had the audacity to mock the terrible incident that befell him years ago, which had resulted in a permanent injury. Feeling hot rage begin to burn in his throat, Miles struggled not to show it, not giving Rebekah the satisfaction of a victory, even if it was only a small one.

"You _will_ get karma one day, Miles. And when you do...I'll be happy." Rebekah finished off lethally, leaning her head forward when she finished her sentence, her eyes cold and uncaring as she believed Miles to be the worst person she had ever met in her entire life. After she finished speaking, nobody else made an effort to talk, either too angry, too shocked or too uncomfortable to attempt to say even a word. However, after a few moments of staring at Miles, waiting for him to do something, Rebekah slowly turned to Griff. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll align with him, but temporarily, and I mean it. As soon as Scar's gone, I want him out, and if he refuses, then I'm going to leave the alliance myself."

After hearing this, Griff and Jackie exchanged a glance of dread and discomfort, knowing there was no possibility where this could ever end well, while Rebekah and Miles went back to silently staring at each other, throwing sharp daggers at the other with their eyes, both of them trying their absolute hardest to remain calm as they observed their new ally with loathing and hatred.

 **Confessional: Miles Jackson**

 **"Usually I'm good at not letting insults and crude jokes get under my skin and affect me, and I've definitely received my fair share over the years. But...what Rebekah said to me...what she insulted me with...is absolutely, completely _unforgivable_. What I'm saying is definitely going to be a contrast to what I'm usually like, but it's impossible for me to pretend to be calm and composed after hearing those awful words come out of her mouth. I'm so, incredibly angry...infuriated, even, at Rebekah's disgusting comment. She had no right. _No right_!" Miles snapped hastily and briskly, speaking so quickly that it was almost impossible to hear what he was saying, letting his emotions flow through for a split second which he usually kept well veiled, before quickly and cleanly returning to his calm demeanour as if he never became angry in the first place. "I'll align with her...for now, for strategic reasons, as Scar is still the greater threat due to his great intelligence which Rebekah lacks in every aspect. Someone who lacks the ability to control their anger that badly truly is a dim light bulb in my eyes. But...as soon as he's gone, and he's far away from the game...I'm going to rally up my alliance, turn them all against Rebekah, and get her out of my sight for good. After what she said to me, I now completely, _utterly_ understand Sasha's undying hate for her."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Rebekah Abbot**

 **"Miles thinks I was out of line, my alliance thinks I went out of line, and I'm almost certain that pretty much everybody who could potentially witness what I said thinks that I went out of line, even those who share my hatred and loathing for Miles, like Olivia, who he targeted and eliminated after manipulating us. After I originally said it, I first thought that, maybe a few hours after I did say it, I would feel really guilty, or at the very least the slightest pang of regret or rue. But, what really surprises me, what really, truly shocks me, is that, simply, I don't care. I couldn't care any less about what I said to him. In my eyes, Miles deserved absolutely everything I said to him. He can't just keep on doing whatever he wants to whoever he wants without somebody retaliating or fighting back! He'll start to think he can rule the world if nobody stands up to him and gives him a taster of what stone cold reality tastes like! I'm so sick of his stupid smirks and sneaky actions, with everyone always lapping it up and trusting him with their lives instantly! I'm so sick of it!" Rebekah screamed, her voice and emotions rising faster and faster with every passing second, her face heating up and her cheeks burning in anger. "I've wanted to eliminate Miles, wanted to see him walking down that pathway to the boat that'll take him out of here and far away from me, knowing I'd never have to lay my eyes on his face ever again, since Olivia's elimination. The fourth day of this competition. But now...now, after he's manipulated Sasha, then betrayed her straightaway, and then THREATENED me in front of half of the tribe?! He's got a huge tidal wave of karma rushing towards him faster than he thinks, and I'm going to be the one surfing on top of it."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Griff Jackson**

 **"Okay...I know that it's a necessity that Miles temporarily joins our alliance to eliminate Scar, as if we refused him he would've undoubtedly used his power to rally up his alliance to vote us out one by one, then get rid of Scar at the end using the power he would continue to hold over Arianna and Sasha, but after the encounter shared between Miles and Rebekah...I'm seriously, genuinely beginning to lose hope fast that this'll actually work out. I knew, obviously, that Rebekah didn't like Miles, hated him even, but I had no idea, _no idea_ that she loathed him with every single fibre of her being! The fact that she would actually go so far as to wish death, or at the very least permanent injury, on Miles...maybe he really is worse than I originally thought, or maybe Rebekah's overreacting, exaggerating...but I'm really not sure, and that's what worries me. I hate being clueless, and missing information...it makes me feel weak, and in this game feeling weak can eliminate you in a second. This whole Rebekah and Miles thing could become a big issue, and fast, and I'm really not sure how Jackie and I can resolve it or at least cool it down a bit just until Scar's eliminated and Miles goes back to his actual, permanent alliance." Griff murmured nervously and worriedly, looking up at the camera while he talked, thinking back and retracing the encounter between the four of them with a flash of intense fear in his heart that was only growing stronger and sharper by the second.**

 **...**

 **The Defenders _(Oswald, Connor, Kevin, Zane, Brooke and Gabby)_**

Brooke, Connor and Oswald sat by the campfire together, the fire crackling satisfyingly and in a relaxing manner as they talked to each other comfortably, sitting with their eaten meals resting in front of them. The other members of their reduced tribe, Gabby, Zane and Kevin, had already finished their fish and swiftly departed, continuing the norm of not mingling with other alliances unless absolutely necessary. Kevin, who had betrayed Oswald, Connor and Brooke, despite telling the last, left about ten minutes after Gabby and Zane went off together so that Oswald and Connor wouldn't get suspicious that he was up to traitorous antics. When he left, Oswald asked him where he was going, resulting in him being forced to lie by claiming that he had a headache and he wanted to sleep it off for a while. After his fabrication, and he began walking away, he noticed Brooke looking at him, her expression pained, and regret began to flow through him again.

After Kevin left, Brooke tried to pretend that there was nothing wrong on the outside, but on the inside she was feeling incredibly nervous and anxious as she compelled over again and again how she would bring up Kevin's betrayal to Oswald and Connor in such a way that it didn't appear that she was a part of it, which would unfortunately result in the two growing cold and distrusting towards her and potentially excluding her from the alliance, which she didn't want at all. As she thought this over, she also began to wonder whether she should even tell Oswald and Connor that Kevin betrayed them, as the likelihood was it would only be a matter of time before Kevin realised his mistake by rejoining his alliance with Gabby, and would inevitably want to come back to them. If that happened, and he did want to leave Gabby's alliance and come back to them, then she wanted to give him a chance to do so before she spilled his secret to her allies.

"That fish was probably the best I've ever eaten. It was even better eating it in clean clothes; I didn't realise how much I took washed clothes for granted before this game." Connor complimented with a smile as he stretched, looking at the concerned Brooke appreciatively. "You really are a great chef, Brooke."

Brooke appeared to be distant, only half listening to what Connor was saying, but still registered the last part as a compliment and managed to give a weak, halfhearted smile in return, evidently still concentrated on the Kevin situation and still desperately trying to decipher whether she was going to inform Oswald and Connor or leave them unknowing.

"Thank you." She murmured quietly, her voice soft, when a small, innocent smirk played on her lips. "If you tried my cooking before we came on the island I probably would've gone to jail for manslaughter, so you're lucky I've had a few days to practice."

As Connor began to laugh humorously, grinning throughout, Oswald, despite being entertained by the joke, remained completely stone-faced and expressionless, staring firmly at Brooke, realising instantly that she definitely was not herself, and there was something wrong. As he continued to look at her, he began to question if it could be related to the conversation she shared with Kevin earlier on that day, without he or Connor being around to hear.

After Brooke stopped smiling in amusement at Connor's enjoyment of her small joke, her eyes slowly trailed to Oswald to see if he was also smiling, or at the very least humoured, but found him emotionless, staring at her with a hint of suspicion in his eyes. Brooke noticed this and instantly glanced away, feeling uncomfortable as soon as her eyes detected him. As she stared at the ground, noticing out of the corner of her eye that he was still looking at her, she began to worry that if he continued to stare then he may eventually burn his way through to her brain and find out all about Kevin's betrayal and the fact that she was hiding it just by looking at her.

Brooke slowly used her fork to take the remaining pieces of fish from her plate, gingerly and awkwardly placing them in her mouth and chewing, knowing Oswald was staring at her the entire time. As she desperately tried to ignore Oswald's stare, growing more and more uncomfortable while Oswald became even more suspicious at her evading behaviour, the tension in the air rising to breaking point, Connor, who hadn't noticed the silent drama between the two, happily continued to talk which relaxed Brooke slightly, hoping that Oswald would get distracted by whatever Connor was going to say and his mind would be taken off her.

"You know, I haven't been for a swim in the ocean for a few days now. The stress of the competition has just been getting to me, I guess, and my mind has been completely focused on it, so I haven't really had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the island and the water around it." Connor noted with a small sigh as he looked at the pristine, bright blue waters only a few metres away from him, beckoning him to jump in. He then turned to Oswald and Brooke, looking between them, almost expectantly but mostly in an offering manner. "I was wondering if either of you would like to join me when I have a swim later? I need to relax, it's not healthy for me to be worrying all the time."

"I'd love to!" Brooke answered quickly, her tone high and excited, however this wasn't genuine as she only agreed because she knew that Oswald wouldn't be able to say anything to her if she was swimming amongst the waves. As she thought about it, she began to think that maybe she would construct a water house on the ocean and live out there until the end of the competition, just so she could avoid Oswald and his suspicious questions.

As she agreed with Connor's proposition, Brooke once again noticed out of the corner of her eye that Oswald was still staring at her, now having not spoken in a good five minutes, which caused her extreme discomfort and awkwardness. However, she managed to remain calm and collected, and avoided his gaze, keeping her eyes focused on the smiley, beaming, positive Connor, who was much easier to look at than the paranoid, concerned Oswald who had lacked any sense of emotion whatsoever.

"I'll also come for a swim. I don't remember the last time I did." Oswald spoke to Connor, his eyes still firmly on Brooke as if he was making sure she didn't do anything sneaky that could raise his suspicions even more. Knowing that Brooke was purposely avoiding his eyes, he decided to spin the conversation on her. "But I'd like to talk to Brooke about something first, because I didn't have the opportunity to earlier."

"...What is it?" Brooke asked, her voice forcing itself to sound friendly, when in reality waves of anxiety began to tumble over her, fearing what Oswald was about to ask of her.

"I noticed you and Kevin speaking to each other earlier. I'm not sure if it was just me, but you seemed to be talking in hushed whispers, as if you didn't want anyone to hear what you were saying. I only wanted to know what you were discussing." Oswald said plainly, which was fair enough as almost anyone would be suspicious as to what two people were discussing if they were whispering, especially in a competition like this. Connor, upon hearing this, also looked at Brooke, now interest as well, all amusement in his face gone.

Brooke remained tightly silent as thoughts began to run quickly through her head, sprawling over each other and melting into each other and being replaced with others every milliseconds, having absolutely no idea what to say, having been unable to prepare due to the fact that she was suddenly placed on the spot. She was quickly deciding whether to lie to her alliance, and protect Kevin, who's head was not in the right place, or be honest and tell the truth, and doom him to an inevitable elimination, likely in the very near future.

However, just as she was about to spin a web of fabrications off the top of her head, she realised that the seconds were gradually ticking by and she noticed Oswald looking at her suspiciously while Connor gave her a glance of concern. As her lies got caught in her throat, preventing her from speaking them aloud, she knew that if she did lie then Oswald would very likely find out, as he seemed to be incredibly talented at reading people and very observant.

To add to this, she once again reminded herself that, from now on, in this competition she had to focus more on strategy than sentimentality, and that meant doing what was best for her and nobody else. So, with a sigh of guilt birthed from the thought of Kevin being eliminated, Brooke decided to tell the truth to her alliance, and admit that Kevin had betrayed them.

"Well, when Kevin came to me earlier...he admitted to me that he...he...um, he decided to...rejoin Gabby and Zane's alliance and betray us. I have absolutely no idea where it came from, I promise!" Brooke claimed defensively, even though nobody had accused her of anything, which likely made her appear to be even more suspicious. As Connor gasped in utter shock, all happiness he felt crushing immediately, Oswald's eyes narrowed in confirmation; this is what he expected. Noticing suspicion still evident in Oswald's eyes that was directed at her, Brooke realised what he was silently asking and quickly continued before she stayed quiet for too long. "Kevin also asked me to be part of the alliance, and give them the majority, but I swear that I refused. I mean, otherwise I wouldn't be telling you, right? I think of the two of you as friends, and no doubt you're much more loyal and trustworthy and friendlier people in general than those awful people Gabby and Zane who Kevin keeps getting wrapped up with."

"What are we going to do?" Connor asked anxiously and quickly when Brooke fell silent, looking between his two allies but noticeably focusing more on Oswald, believing him to be the most strategic of the three of them. "Now that Kevin's abandoned us and gone back to Gabby, we've lost the majority! Now it's three-on-three, which means, if we lose, one of us could be eliminated in a tiebreaker..."

"...I'm going to be honest here, we're definitely in trouble. There's no doubt about that." Oswald murmured, slightly uncomfortably at having to reveal to Connor and Brooke that, in reality, he truly didn't have all the answers they needed. To this, Brooke and Connor shared a glance of worry as Oswald fell silent, thinking of a plan to remedy the worrying situation. "If we lose tomorrow's immunity challenge, then, by rules of the game, a tiebreaker will naturally ensue. If we lose that...then one of us three will be eliminated, and the other two will be completely helpless to Gabby's wrath. We need to do something, and quickly, before the challenge, because there'll be no time afterwards."

"We can't let a tiebreaker happen." Brooke pushed, worry streaking her face and causing her cheeks to glow red as she imagined the panic of being involved in a tiebreaker that would decide whether she stayed in the game or was eliminated, beginning out of absolutely nowhere. As she desperately tried to stay calm, she continued. "We'll be like dead carcasses, just lying there for the vultures, or Gabby's alliance, to come and pick us off one by one until there's none of us left! It would make everything the three of us have been through mean absolutely nothing because of a pathetic and cowardly blindside caused by someone who we took in and chose to protect!"

"Oswald, what can we do? There's not much time left until the immunity challenge..." Connor, like Brooke, questioned, beginning to fret as he looked up at the sky and noticed that it would only be a few hours before the sun set, and that's when their time would be up as there would be no time to talk while they were sleeping, competing in the immunity challenge or at the bonfire if they lost. Realising, with hot fear, Connor believed that, right now, there was no way out of the situation for them except for a last second tiebreaker victory, which would be practically left up to chance and a small margin of skill. "I mean, it's not like we can recruit Kevin anymore, because we know that he's definitely not trustworthy and choosing to bring him back would be a huge error because he wouldn't remain loyal and would likely betray us in a second."

"Gabby also definitely isn't someone who we can ask to join our alliance, even temporarily. If we even tried, which we wouldn't, she'd definitely just laugh in our faces and mock us for being pathetic and desperate, then run and tell Kevin and Zane about our failed attempt." Brooke said, reminding the two of Gabby's terrible attitude and sneaky personality. As Oswald gave firm nods to both of their statements, Brooke stared at him for a moment before realising something, her voice lowering. "Oswald...are you planning on persuading Zane to turn over to our side?"

While Brooke and Connor were expecting Oswald to give a nod of agreement, as it appeared to be their final option to save themselves with, surprisingly, he shook his head in denial, surprising and confusing them as the alliance now had nobody they could persuade to join their side, having rejected all potential offers.

"Zane certainly isn't trustworthy enough. The entire extent of Zane's personality is that he's simply Gabby's crony, and that's it; he's been sticking firmly to her like glue, unable to be shaken off, ever since we all joined the Defenders tribe. If we even tried, then there's no doubt that he would go straight and tell her as soon as we left him alone, even if he agreed to work with us." Oswald spoke logically, revealing further his ability to observe people and instantly break their personality down to a few simple facts.

Feeling increasingly more confused and worried, Connor shared yet another fearful glance with Brooke, neither of them wanting to be eliminated as the two, along with everybody else in the competition, had already come so far and done so much to get where they were that day, having made it through two whole weeks of trials and tribulations but still remaining on the island. However, based on the conversation the three just had, it had become seemingly unavoidable as there appeared to be no way they could escape from the inevitable predicament, their best opportunity being that, whoever Gabby's alliance targeted, won the tiebreaker, which would once again give them a firm majority in the tribe for the time being, but due to fluke and luck, not by strategy.

Unnerved by Oswald's silence, as he usually held every answer he required in his mysterious mind, Connor slowly looked at him.

"Oswald, do you have a plan for how we can get out of this?" Connor asked quietly, fearing another silence which would only confirm his fears and heighten his panic even further. Oswald glanced up at him, his mind whirring, not speaking for a few moments before taking a deep breath and looking equally between the two of his allies.

"Here's what we're going to do."

 **Confessional: Oswald Pamesi**

 **"I've always had an underlying feeling that Kevin could not be trusted; as soon as Brooke brought him to our alliance circle, the very moment that she did, and I saw him shaking in fright and pure terror, I could see that he wasn't just heavily affected by Gabby and Zane's harassment and bullying, but he was also incredibly weak-minded, and to put it simply; a coward. I could tell that he easily struggles to hold his own opinion on things, and would quickly drop a topic or apologise simply to prevent a conflict from ensuing, showing his lack of opinion, or lack of strength to back it up and defend himself. And if he doesn't have the mental ability to defend himself, then there's no chance that he would ever protect his allies. Thus, upon just the smallest slice of provocation from Gabby, he leapt straight back into her arms like an emotionally injured puppy, and betrayed us after we gave him a chance." Oswald muttered in bitter disappointment, shaking his head in frustration albeit remaining cool and composed, keeping his emotions and feelings under the radar. "Kevin's cowardice may have doomed us, unless my plan works, which it hopefully will. If it doesn't...then one of us may be going home tonight, sooner than all three of us want. If we lose the challenge, and then the target of Gabby's alliance loses the tiebreaker...let's just say, this plan is undoubtedly our final and most valuable speck of hope."**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Brooke Summers**

 **"Of course I feel guilty and regretful for snitching on Kevin and telling Oswald and Connor about his betrayal, maybe even ashamed, but, I mean, come on, who wouldn't, right? But, like I keep telling myself, over and over again, drilling it continuously into my mind, hoping it'll just stick in, I absolutely cannot allow my emotions to run my game and let them tell my story in this competition. If I do that...if I let myself be weak, and make my decisions based on whether I feel sympathetic, or angry, or upset, then my sentimentality will lead me on a pathway of tears sending me straight onto the boat that'll take me home, no looking back. I need to do what's best for me, and only me, and look at the bigger, wider picture when I decide what I do, thinking about every single choice in detail and how it'll affect my overall strategy and change my plans. I can no longer concentrate and focus on helping and protecting other people, or wondering what they'll think of me if I do something different to what they want from me. The best winners, the strongest winners, of these types of competitions are always the ruthless ones, and from now on, that's what I intend to be; focusing only on myself and my alliance, more so on the former, as no matter how much you know someone, you can never trust someone completely as you never know the dark intentions lurking in their sealed up heart." Brooke said confidently, reinforcing every word she said with a glimmer of strength and willpower in her eyes, certain that she had made the right decision in revealing Kevin's betrayal to Oswald and Connor, as if she didn't they would have no plan or lead to go on and one of them would soon end up eliminated, potentially Brooke herself based on Gabby's mood at the time which her alliance would no doubt follow without protestation.**

 **...**

Meanwhile, almost half a mile away, at the other side of the Defenders' section of the island, Gabby and Kevin were both walking together on a winding, twisty pathway that led them deep into the woods and through the various different types of shrubbery, trees, plants and animals that surrounded them on the vibrant, beautiful island. Gabby had asked him to go for a walk with her, almost like some sort of ice breaker, to reconcile their friendship, which Kevin had gladly agreed to, happy to go along with anything Gabby said just to stop her from getting mad at him.

However, despite the conversation between the two beginning strong, with one always having something to say back to the other after they finished speaking, creating an enjoyable, comfortable, flowing conversation, after a while the speaking seemed to fizz out like an overworked light bulb, resulting in the two now walking along in silence, looking in different directions. Kevin, as he watched a squirrel clambering up a tree at lightning fast speed, began to feel overwhelming sensations of awkwardness and so he remained silent, worried that if he tried to speak he would slip up and humiliate himself, which he didn't want as he only just rejoined Gabby's alliance again, and she truly was making an effort to be friendly which he didn't want to jeopardise.

Despite his relief at Gabby not going back to her old ways as soon as he made up with her, Kevin was still unsure whether to trust her, and he considered this as he eyed her secretly while she walked forward confidently, having no care for the plants she was crushing under her feet. Whenever he made a joke that Gabby found funny, or whenever she complimented something about his appearance, Kevin began to feel closer to her, but instantly reminded himself of her harassment and bullying immediately after, causing him to retract his openness and become distant and fearful again.

Gabby, on the other hand, had been trying her hardest not to smirk devilishly and break out into a fit of cruel giggles throughout their entire walk and conversation, absolutely ecstatic with glee that Kevin had completely fallen for her trap and willingly agreed, with not much convincing necessary, to rejoin her alliance, having him completely back under her control after only a simple blip. She also knew that, because he betrayed his other alliance, there was now no going back, and with a sly grin she understood that she would be able to start doing literally anything she wanted to Kevin, and even if he wanted to leave he couldn't unless he was willing to be eliminated to escape her, or attempt to go it alone until the merge which wouldn't work out as, due to the fact that he betrayed them, Oswald's alliance would likely be happy to leap at the opportunity to get rid of him.

Also, Gabby knew that if her team lost the next immunity challenge the following day then she would be safe no matter what, as Oswald, Connor and Brooke would likely choose Kevin as their target, resulting in him having to compete in a tiebreaker, which was a win-win situation for Gabby because, if Kevin won, then she would have majority and control, and if Kevin lost, then she would be rid of one of the most pathetic people she had ever met in her entire life, giving her the opportunity to work on gaining control over the mentally weaker members of Oswald's alliance, likely Brooke or Connor.

However, Gabby knew that she had to keep up her facade for now, at least until Kevin fully trusted her again, so that there truly wasn't any opportunity for him to go back to Brooke, Oswald and Connor. So, ready to continue her temporary manipulation until she could return to treating Kevin cruelly and horribly, as she liked it, she looked at him, a sweet smile dusting her lips.

"I have to say, I'm in such a good mood after we won that challenge! It feels so good to be wearing freshly washed and dried clothes. It almost makes me feel free!" Gabby announced with a small giggle. "I hope that everyone's brand new motivation will propel us through to victory in tomorrow's immunity challenge, too."

To this, Kevin gave a polite nod, offering Gabby a weak smile, but, if he was honest with himself, he had barely noticed the difference between his dirty, sweaty clothes and his fresh clean ones, due to the fact that his mind was constantly on the topic of his betrayal, fearing that he would turn around to see Oswald, Connor and Brooke storming towards him in pure rage to attack him. As he continued to contemplate this, he realised with a feeling of concern that he deeply regretted betraying them, wishing he just stayed with them as he was part of the majority in the tribe and thus he was safe, and they were very friendly to him also. However, with a dull acceptance, he knew that he had made his traitorous bed, and that he had to lie in it.

"...I'm sorry, Kevin." Gabby faked with a sad frown, noticing how he didn't reply to her, pretending to fear that he was ignoring her and didn't really want to be friends with her again. Gabby looked down at the ground, closing her eyes for a moment as if she were ashamed of herself, showing her talented ability to fake her emotions, that being her main tactic of manipulating and using people. "I was an idiot for thinking that we could go back to normal after what I did to you, after how cruel I've been...it's okay if you're not ready to have casual conversations with me yet, I can completely understand. Everything takes time, and I'm totally willing to give it to you. I just feel so, _so_ guilty about the way I've treated you so far in this game...I've ruined the one in a lifetime experience for you completely, and I'm so sorry for that."

"No, no, I have forgiven you." Kevin corrected quickly and softly, feeling for once that he was actually in control and wanting to enjoy it and make the most of it instead of feeling as if he was Gabby's victim all the time. "I'm just...a little bit worried about other things, that's all. It's nothing to do with you, honest."

After saying this, Kevin gave his ally a reassuring, comforting smile, which would come across as genuine if it wasn't for the evident worry growing in and filling up his eyes. To this, Gabby copied the smile and returned it, flashing Kevin an honest, true beam which, in reality, was a simple fabrication and manipulation technique in her current goal at playing him for all he was worth, using his sensitivity to her deceitful and selfish advantage. As the two continued walking, Gabby looked at their surroundings as if she were admiring them.

"You know, I've only just realised that the island we're playing on, this small patch of land that we're standing on, isolated, at this very moment, truly is a beautiful and vibrant place. I really do hope that we win the immunity challenge, if anything so that I can just enjoy the island and feel carefree for at least another two days before going back to the miserable, cold world we live in." Gabby said, giving a false shudder as she thought about the world she lived in, which actually wasn't bad at all for her. She then eyed Kevin observantly as she continued to monitor his ensuing facial expressions. "It'll also give me a chance to, for all it's worth, persuade Oswald, Connor and Brooke that I'm really not a nasty person, and that the stress of this competition is just getting to me."

"Well, it'll take some time, but I'm pretty sure that they'll forgive you, Gabby. They will when they get to know who you really are, anyway." Kevin prophesied, his voice nervous, fidgeting a little with his hands, not believing what he said at all as he knew how much the three loathed Gabby. As his ally looked at him suspiciously, noticing his tone and thus not feeling relieved by what he said, Kevin quickly decided to change the subject before Gabby put her suspicions into words. "But, um, yeah, I hope the immunity challenge will go well too. I just want to feel the relief of knowing that I'm safe, at least for a couple of days, I guess...like back when we were on the Sand Tribe. I think we only lost once back there, right?"

"That's right." Gabby confirmed with a nod, before giving Kevin a cheerful smile, nudging his arm playfully. "As long as we try our hardest, and work as hard as we possibly can to win the challenge, it's all anyone can ask of us, right? Then, if we lose the challenge, but we really did fight as hard as we could, then it's simply fate and it was destined to happen."

Upon hearing this, Kevin, not taking what she said to heat, despondently looked down at his feet as he continued to walk, feeling his cheeks begin to burn red with embarrassment and shame.

"That might be true, but...even if, when we lose, we were destined to, I still can't help thinking that...whenever I lose a challenge...everyone just...judges me, and, um, just looks at me in a bad light, I suppose. I hate it when people stare at me, especially after I do something embarrassing." Kevin muttered angrily, annoyed with himself at how easily he was affected by what other people thought. To this, Gabby stared at him for a few moments, pretending as if she was affected by what he said.

"I'm the reason for why you're so self-conscious and anxious, aren't I?" Gabby asked quietly, to which Kevin uncomfortably averted his gaze from her, wanting to angrily confirm it and shout at her but fearing that, if he betrayed even the smallest hint of anger, she would immediately lose every bit of progress she had made and return to making his life a living misery out of pettiness. Noticing the awkward look on his face, Gabby gave a small sigh of sadness. "I really am sorry for doing all that to you, Kevin, and what I turned you into...every time I think about it, it truly fills me with so much burning regret that it makes me want to scream aloud. I promise I'll never, ever do it again."

Of course, these were fake promises, lies put across in such a truthful way that it was almost impossible for even an incredibly observant person, not to mention Kevin, to be suspicious or not believe her words. Just like she expected, it successfully tricked Kevin, and he smiled slightly, comforted by her fabrications.

"You don't give yourself enough credit either, Kevin, when it comes to challenges. You're not the best, but you're definitely not the worst, not by a long, long should be proud of your accomplishments so far, not beating yourself up over them! Just think; you're still in the competition, you're still fighting for the grand prize, and even getting here in the first place is a huge success in its own right." Gabby said, her eyes stuck to Kevin's as she talked to make what she spoke about seem more believable. As Kevin's smile widened, growing even more surprised as he began to wonder if this was really Gabby or just someone else pretending to be her, hiding in a suit, Gabby softly and gently placed her hand on his shoulder, moving her face closer to his slowly and gracefully. "You really are a talented, unique person, Kevin. You need to start giving yourself a lot more credit, because you really do deserve it."

"Gabby...thank you so much." Kevin mumbled humbly, unsure what else to say, his cheeks glowing a light shade of pink as he continued to smile. The two falling into a comfortable, relaxing silence, the quietness only being broken by their footsteps and the occasional crunching of a twig under their feet, they continued to walk along the pathway. After a few moments, Kevin shyly turned his head towards Gabby, feeling guilty that she just said all that about him and he didn't even return it with a single compliment. "You're so much better at challenges than me, though, Gabby, you have to admit that at least. I'm almost certain that, when the merge eventually comes around, you'll do so much better without a slow, dreary team of people like us holding you back like five shackles tied to your back. In fact, you'll probably end up winning most, if not all, of the immunity challenges because you have such amazing athletic ability."

"Thanks." Gabby said with a grin, always happy to accept compliments which, in her eyes, she was well-deserving of, but she knew that she had to put it across in a sweet, meek way so that Kevin's suspicions didn't arouse that she was simply pretending to be kind and friendly to gain his gullible, loose-hanging trust. A few moments later, after thinking about what he said, a light smirk formed on her lips. "You think I'm going to reach the merge? You seemed pretty confident."

"Yes. I completely believe you're going to reach the merge, Gabby, because the two of us and Zane are going to stand by each other all the way and help each other when we need it and protect each other from anyone who threatens us, doing whatever we need to do, absolutely anything we need to do to reach the final three." Kevin said, confident for the first time in a long time with Gabby, flashing her a triumphant smile in response to her question, looking at her with eyes now brimming with trust and admiration.

In response, as they continued to walk merrily along the pathway, Gabby gave Kevin a humble smile and a nod, despite, in her mind, grinning deviously and cruelly as she knew full well that she had just completely manipulated Kevin into believing she had changed, meaning that now there was no going back for him and he would either have to quit the alliance and be on his own, likely for the rest of the competition, or stay with Gabby and suffer her torment. As she thought about it, Gabby turned away and smirked gleefully, relishing in the fact that Kevin had no idea what was coming towards him, at full speed.

 **Confessional: Gabby Rentmeaster**

 **"This is too easy! It's just like giving a dog just one small treat, then luring it towards you and snapping a tight, iron leash onto it as soon as it crept close enough to you! Kevin is just like an innocent, pathetic puppy willing to trust anyone who looks at him right or flashes him a smile now and again, and it makes him all the easier to use. I knew he was worthless, and hilariously credulous, but I didn't think that he was so weak-minded that he would rejoin my alliance and instantly trust me again just with a silent click of my fingers, especially after everything I did to him! If he thinks I'm going to act all nicey-nicey with him again, he has another thing coming, the childish, pig-brained idiot! His naivete makes me burst out laughing sometimes, when he isn't around, obviously...one thing he said had me absolutely creased after we left each other, oh, what was it...'We're going to stand by each other all the way!'; that almost made me explode into a matter of tears of laughter! There's no way I'm sticking by such a useless loser and protecting him with my brilliant mind and insanely great ability to use people to my advantage! I mean, he cries at literally everything and never stops feeling sorry for himself, always looking for sympathy one way or another! As soon as I'm in a safe, secure place, with a large, comfortable alliances of blockheads surrounding me and protecting me, when Kevin thinks he's 'standing by me', I'm going to completely blindside and betray him out of absolutely nowhere and watch with joy as the trust is wiped right off his face and ripped cleanly out of his heart! I can't wait; it's going to be absolutely fantastic!" Gabby exclaimed, roaring with immense, humoured laughter as she sat in the confessional, tearing off a piece of toilet paper to wipe her eyes with, thinking about Kevin and grinning as she fantasised over how she was going to betray and eliminate him later on in the game when he was no longer any use to her.**

 **...**

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"Wow...I really never thought I'd say this, not in a million years, but...I really do think Gabby's changed for the better! It's honestly surprised me, gobsmacked me even; I didn't know it was possible for someone to change personalities so quickly and...vastly, but I'm not going to complain. I'm so happy that she did! At first, I felt guilty and regretful about abandoning Connor and Oswald behind their backs and attempting to steal Brooke from them as well to have a majority, but now...I honestly feel like I made the right decision! Of course I still feel a little bad; I mean, any regular person would who isn't completely inhumane, emotionless or maliciously intent on being cruel, but this game is full of betrayals and only the best, cleverest traitor will succeed. Aligning with Gabby and Zane again...I really do feel like I made a good, strong choice that'll help me in the future of this game, and I'll do much better now because of my decision. In Oswald's alliance, to be completely truthful, I felt like I was at the bottom of a quickly tumbling totem pole, and that after we eliminated Gabby and Zane, they would all turn on me, but with just the two of them...I don't know, I just feel like we're all equal...I feel a lot more safe, truthfully. I just hope that, if we do lose, we can win the tiebreaker and make my betrayal worth the effort and regret that came with it." Kevin spoke with a happy, cheerful smile on his face, feeling truly relaxed for the first time in quite a few days of competing on the island for the grand prize.**

 **...**

Zane, while Gabby and Kevin, his allies, went on their walk together, chose to stay in the shelter alone and sort out everyone's freshly washed and dried clothes into differentiated piles according to the person, recognising who was in possession of the clothes due to the fact that he had seen them wearing the same things for two weeks now. He was placing the clothes gingerly in a firm, well-built wicker basket so that they wouldn't get dirty or covered in rainwater if they were left carelessly on the ground within hours of being cleaned.

As Zane placed the final t-shirt, his own, inside the wicker basket, on top of the other clothes and tentatively closed the lid so none of them would fall over, for example, if he slammed the lid abruptly, standing up to leave, he suddenly heard a cluster of footsteps n the distance that grew louder and louder. As he peered into the distance, into the cluster of thick, dark trees, he made out the image of three people with varying heights and understood them to undoubtedly be the alliance of Brooke, Oswald and Connor, as it was very unlikely that it was Gabby, Kevin and one member of their alliance or another pairing as that simply wouldn't make any sense.

As he was still thinking this over, before he even realised it, he had been practically cornered against one wall of the shelter by the alliance he suspected the people were, Oswald, Connor and Brooke, who were all staring at him, watching his every move from varying angles, causing Zane to begin to feel incredibly uncomfortable. He knew, however, that if he tried to depart the shelter clearing then they would simply just follow him, so he decided to just face up to the question that he knew was on their minds before they had a chance to ask it.

"I'll just start and end this conversation quickly. I don't want to be part of your alliance; I'm happy with just Gabby, thank you very much." Zane muttered, displaying that he had greater intelligence and was much more observant than what could originally be perceived as emanating from him, evidently hiding the fact that Kevin was also in their alliance, oblivious to the reality that all three members of the alliance knew full well about that situation. "You should forget about it before you even bother to ask; I have no intention of betraying Gabby."

As he talked, Zane stared directly at Oswald, who looked back at him with his always watching eyes, knowing that he was the unspoken, unofficial leader of the trio alliance, as even though Zane wasn't part of the alliance itself he could tell who was controlling it due to Oswald's apparent great intelligence and strategic mind, being the strongest out of the three despite all of them holding significant skills in the categories required to play the game. Oswald, currently possessing the same mindset as Zane, knowing that he would be the main, centre spokesperson in their plan, with the other two simply providing small pieces of information, stared at Zane in silence for a few moments before beginning to speak, slowly but surely and confidently.

"We weren't going to ask you to join our alliance; we don't want you in it." Oswald said firmly and slightly coldly, resulting in Zane's mouth widening ever so slightly in shock before he quickly closed it again, narrowing his eyes to Oswald's statement. Oswald, after watching him again for a few more seconds, slowly continued. "We simply wanted to warn you, Zane, because we've noticed, even if you haven't, that there's significant danger rotating around you at the moment and, even though we're not part of your alliance and we don't want to be, we still want to help you if we can."

"...What do you mean? Tell the truth, as well; if you're lying, I'll know." Zane warned in an almost threatening manner, his eyes glazing dangerously temporarily which unaffected Oswald. Even though he was almost certain that he made up the 'danger rotating around him', Zane still couldn't help raising an eyebrow in confusion and slight worry as he waited for Oswald to elaborate.

Oswald, ignoring Zane's threat, reacting in no way towards it, began to put across his plan to Zane, lying all the way throughout but putting it across in a very convincing manner, causing Connor and Brooke to be relieved that they were on his side, as if he was lying to them then they likely would've believed it immediately. He kept his eyes trained on Zane's the entire time he was speaking, the tone in his voice completely serious, betraying no hint that he was weaving a web of fabrications that he would use to entrap Zane.

"Well, not long ago, only about half an hour before we started talking to you, Gabby approached us out of absolutely nowhere, red-faced, upset, emotional and nervous. None of us had ever seen her like it before, but there she was, snivelling and crying as if she was a completely different person. Before any of us could say a word to her, which wasn't going to be asking her if she was okay, but rather telling her to leave us alone, she interjected and started speaking first. She started apologising profusely, like a broken record constantly spinning around and around endlessly, saying sorry for being so egotistical, big-headed and obnoxious during the challenges and around the camp generally. This was already surprising enough, as none of us were used to or even slightly familiar with Gabby being so emotional and distressed, despite us partially believing that she was lying to us and attempting to manipulate us. However, what came out of her mouth next shocked us all completely." Oswald explained in great detail to the attentive Zane, who listened to every word and appeared to be just as surprised as them with Gabby's sudden bout of emotion. After waiting another couple of moments, until he was sure that Zane was listening as closely as he could, Oswald continued again. "She asked us, genuinely, with her heart in her mouth, to, if we lost the next immunity challenge and had to go to the bonfire area again, spare her and give her a chance, voting out you before we got rid of her, as she's supposedly desperate to redeem herself."

Zane, after hearing the last part, couldn't help widening his eyes and dropping his mouth open in pure shock and bewilderment, unable to be suspicious of Oswald due to the utterly serious tone of his voice and composed, calm body language; this, and the fact that he looked him dead in the eye as he spoke, not averting his gaze at all which was a common trait someone possessed when they told a lie. As Zane stood there, confused on what to think, Connor entered the conversation before he could start asking questions.

"We're telling you all this because we feel sympathetic for you, Zane, and we're completely sick of Gabby and her deceitful, treacherous nature and personality. When we heard her trying to throw you under the bus just to stay in the game for another two days, we were absolutely disgusted and furious at how somebody could be so utterly selfish and uncaring of their appearance to do something so awful. We just couldn't believe that she could do that behind your back, especially since you're her final ally and she was willing to betray you so easily, without a second thought." Connor spoke to Zane, his eyes creased as if he was feeling emotional, his voice evidently pained despite him also pretending, and doing a good job at that. This startled Zane, resulting in him truly beginning to believe their word, his image of Gabby rapidly and uncomfortably beginning to distort in his eyes. "That wasn't the only reason for why we we told you, though. We also told you because we know that, deep down, you're not nearly as bad as Gabby when it comes to this bullying and harassment she does, and that you simply go along with it because you're stuck in a rut, and you have no idea what to do except stick by her, because if you disagree with her tactics you'd end up on your own."

"You can't trust Zane, Gabby. Even if you asked her to get you an apple she'd probably come back with a mango just to try and sabotage you for the fun of it! If you told her any sort of secret, she'd undoubtedly remember it for the future and use it against you whenever she saw it fit to exploit your private information for her own personal gain; she would capture your heart and trust and use it until she grew tired, and then tear it to shreds and jump on it over and over in the form of a blindside." Brooke warned, also entering the conversation, all three members of the alliance having now spoken to Zane consecutively, one after the other, throwing all the information at his face before he had a chance to react to it, delivering an onslaught of pure fabrication and lies that he simply couldn't ignore or turn a blind eye to.

As Zane glanced between the three of them, growing increasingly more worried and stressed out due to all the treacherous actions Gabby had been committing which he had no idea about only a few minutes ago, falling more and more for the lie by the second, Oswald took a step forward towards him one more time, looking at him directly in the eye.

"Zane, Gabby is nothing but an incredibly devious, deceptive person, who excels at just that, and her twisted mind is simply unable to comprehend loyalty and how much it hurts someone for that sacred bond to be betrayed and broken. She thinks of people, living human beings with emotions and lives of their own, as nothing but plastic toys in a toy box that she thinks she can just throw around and trash before leaving them there as if they meant absolutely nothing. She thinks we're all her mannequins; blank slates that she can merge and twist into whatever she wants using the skills she owns with manipulation." Oswald said darkly to Zane, and the latter listened to every single word he said, becoming entranced with Oswald's skilfully set out bear trap of a lie. "Zane, we're not asking you to join our alliance, because like we said before, we don't want you to be a part of it. However, we're giving you an offer to stay in the competition, even if it's just a little bit longer; we're asking you to join forces with us, temporarily, to help us vote out Gabby and dispose of the most deceitful and menacing contestant who's likely ever graced this game. If she stays, she's going to make all of our lives, including yours, an absolute misery, making this game not worth playing, even for the grand prize at the end, and we think you know that."

"..." For a moment, Zane appeared to be genuinely considering it, abandoning the ally he had been with for quite a long time now for the three people who were openly against not only her, but him as well, except for this occasion. However, he soon seemed to realise this and he quickly and briskly shook his head, an expression of irritating curling up the sides of his lips. "No. There's no way I could vote for Gabby; she's the only ally I have in this competition, and without her I'd be completely on my own. Even if she is out to get rid of me, I don't care. I'm not willing to eliminate my only ally to save myself; I'd much rather be eliminated, then stay in this game on my own, knowing my elimination was inevitable the next time we lost anyway."

"Your logic is flawed, Zane." Brooke pointed out quickly, the cogs of her persuasive mind beginning to turn and connect with each other quickly as she started trying to convince him. "Gabby literally betrayed you only about forty minutes ago to save her own skin, and you're refusing to do the same before she does it to you? Zane, if you want to succeed in this competition, you need to start learning to focus less on other people and more on yourself. It's the only way you have a shot at winning this."

Zane, after hearing this, slowly began to change his mind as he stared at Brooke, pondering her words, before glancing at Connor, and then Oswald, concern and worry now evident on his face as he had no idea what to do. After a few moments of tense silence, Zane begrudgingly and instantly regretfully nodding his head, confirming his compliance to vote for Gabby should they lose the next immunity challenge.

While Connor and Brooke smiled slightly at this, Oswald didn't smile, his mysterious eyes simply gleaming at Zane as he noticed his small, hesitant head nod.

"You won't regret this decision, Zane." Oswald said simply and calmly, causing Zane to look at him as he began to wonder if he really wouldn't regret it, or if, within seconds of seeing Gabby leave the game, waves of guilt would begin to crash over him and threaten to blast him out to the ocean with her.

 **Confessional: Zane Wood**

 **"I can't believe Gabby would do this to me! After everything the two of us have been through together, after all the time we've spent together, getting to know each other, and I thought, grow to become friends...I just...I really thought that we had a friendship there, you know, unlike everyone else who was only in our alliance because we needed them for their vote. I thought she and I would stick together until the end, until the final two, remaining loyal to each other no matter what, even if it meant being eliminated one after the after, but I suppose not. I suppose she didn't think like I did, even though she pretended she did. I just...I just can't wrap my head around the fact that she actually betrayed me...I thought I was more to her than that..." Zane mumbled, sadness cracking his voice ever so slightly, and for a second his eyes grew blurry but he soon blinked away the tears quickly, sudden anger scribbling over the despair he felt only moments ago as he narrowed his eyes in fury. "She'll regret trying to double-cross and blindside me...thanks to Oswald, Connor and Brooke, she will regret it, oh, she will...and I'll be happy to see her walking down the pathway to take her home, the disgusting, disloyal traitor."**

 **...**

A few hours after the conversation in which alliances collided and conspired, Brooke and Kevin met up in a small, hidden clearing, the atmosphere in the air slightly awkward. As the two stood together, neither of them making much of an effort to speak, they both understood, in their hearts, that it would be the last time the two of them were with each other, just the two of them. As they thought this over, feeling both uncomfortable and sombre at the same time, unsure why they were even there as they were both part of separate alliances, Kevin suddenly remembered why they met up in the first place, and looked at her hesitantly.

"Brooke, have you...um, thought about my offer?" Kevin slowly asked her, remaining vague at first just in case anyone happened to be hiding amongst the trees and shrubbery, watching them with a careful eye. Brooke looked at him for a moment before averting her gaze and fidgeting with her hands slightly.

"Yeah, I have." Brooke replied lightly, but it was a lie; she hadn't actually given it a second thought since the moment he first suggested it, knowing the entire time that she was going to remain loyal to Oswald and Connor, no matter what, at least while they were on the Defenders as when the merge came around that was going to be a whole other can of worms.

"...So, um...are you going to do it? Are you going to...betray Oswald and Connor and come with Gabby, Zane and I?" Kevin asked, now incredibly stressed out that she was going to refuse, making the idea of telling her in the first place an entire waste of time as the only notable thing that happened would be exploiting his betrayal to the person he betrayed. Brooke remained silent for a moment, her eyes still on the ground, as Kevin's worries only grew more and more prominent in his heart, when her eyes flicked up to meet his.

"No." Brooke replied simply, taking a step back towards the exit of the clearing, her eyes continuing to stare into Kevin's hurt, fearful ones. Knowing that she couldn't ruin his hopes with just a word, she quickly began to justify her decision and hopefully encourage Kevin to stop his betrayal before it was too latte before he could say a word in response. "Kevin, I honestly believe that you're making a huge mistake by putting your trust into Gabby and Zane again. Can't you see that they're just using you for your vote? They'll drop you and throw you to the wolves whenever they see fit! Kevin, just come back to my alliance, with Oswald and Connor, before it's too late. Before you're stuck with Gabby forever, and she continues to torment you and ruin your life while you're in this competition."

As Kevin listened, as much as he didn't want to, as much as he tried to repel against the feelings that began to stir in his mind, he couldn't help believing and trusting what Brooke said. He continued to stare at her while thoughts ran through his head as he quickly weighed the positives and negatives of betraying two alliances in two days and going back to his original one, or sticking with Gabby and Zane, who honestly appeared to have changed. After a few more tense seconds, Kevin reluctantly and sadly shook his head to Brooke, unable to look her in the eyes due to him feeling incredibly ashamed of himself.

"Thanks Brooke, for caring about me. I really do appreciate it, and I'll never forget it. But...I really do think that Gabby's changed, and...if anyone would know if she has...it's me. I've been in a tribe with her since day one of the competition, so I've had almost two weeks of her, and she genuinely does seem to be a completely different person. It's taking time, but she's getting better, and I don't want to abandon her while she's in the middle of that because it could cause her to go out of control again." Kevin spoke his thoughts, the words being created in his brain and travelling through his body before leaving through his mouth.

Brooke looked at him, listening to his words, feeling slightly upset that Kevin had been manipulated and controlled so easily by someone who had done noting but harass and bully him for days on end, but she knew that there was no going back for him, not until Gabby returned to showing her true colours once again. It was only a matter of time. However, not wanting him to feel too bad as she did still care about him, she gave him a fake smile in an attempt to reassure him and calm his worries.

"There's no need to explain your actions, Kevin. At the end of the day, it's your choice whether you want to trust Gabby and Zane or not, and if you believe you made the right decision, don't let me stop you." Brooke said, continuing to smile at Kevin, noticing, in his eyes, that he believed the beam was genuine when in reality it was not, a fabricated cheek lift formed only to resolve his worries and qualms. After she finished speaking, she stayed silent for just a moment, licking her lips in a sad manner before quickly and abruptly shoving out her hand. "Good luck for the rest of the game, Kevin. I hope you make it far."

"I hope you do well too, Brooke, but I don't think you need my luck. You're intelligent, you're strong, you're kind, and I can see you going all the way." Kevin said in a supportive way, gratefully taking her hand and proceeding to shake it firmly.

As Brooke smiled at the compliment and genuine kindness, inside, where nobody could see, she gave a concerned frown, feeling pangs of worry emanate from all around her tense body. Because deep in her heart, but keeping it hidden from flowing through to the surface, Brooke knew how much Kevin's latest decision, not to return to her alliance, would drastically affect his game for the worst and likely destroy any chances he had of winning the overall competition and the grand prize.

 **Confessional: Kevin Conner**

 **"Well, there we go. I've done it. I've confirmed my allegiance. Now, there's no doubt in my mind that Brooke will tell Oswald and Connor of my betrayal, but that's completely understandable because I would too, along with, I'm pretty sure, every other contestant in this game. If Brooke hasn't told them already, of course, but I don't think she has. Brooke's a rare person that you can barely find in this world; she's really sweet and kind, and I genuinely believe that she would never do anything to betray anyone or hurt anybody; she seems much too friendly and kind to do anything like that. But Oswald and Connor...I hope Brooke told them, because they do deserve to know about what I did; I'm grateful to them, so, so grateful to them. I'll always be grateful, to all three of them, for letting me be part of their alliance family when I needed the support the most. If it wasn't for them...I honestly think that I may have quit a day ago, before Gabby apologised to me. They don't deserve to have secrets kept hidden away from them, that could potentially hurt them if they remain unknowing. I just hope that my choice to abandon them won't hurt any of the three too much...I don't want to see them upset, any of them...I don't think I would be able to take it, knowing it was all my fault." Kevin mumbled, looking down at the ground, a mix of anxiety, excitement and regret evident deep in his eyes. He gave a small sigh, slowly raising his head to look at the camera, a smile gingerly creeping its way onto his face. "But it's okay. I'm back with Gabby and Zane, for good, and I think, for sure, that I made the right decision by choosing to stay with them. I really do believe that this alliance I'm in with them will last for a long time, and that we'll outlast everyone else and reach the final three, together."**

 **...**

 **Day 14**

 **Immunity Challenge**

Their emotions all high in the air, every single contestant feeling the intensity of the situation, knowing that if they only made a single mistake their team could lose and they could end up being eliminated, all thirteen walked back onto the challenge beach, sharing glances with the other tribes that held mixes of support, antagonism and worry. As they stood on the beach, waiting for their host to arrive who, as always, was late, they observed the layout of the challenge and tried to work out what they would have to do, whispering quietly to each other their ideas.

Sitting on the beach, stretching out from one end all the way to the other, were four identical obstacle courses, two of them red and two of them blue. The obstacle course consisted of a simple pathway, created from a very narrow beam that would be difficult to walk on, that twisted and turned, going left swiftly and right swiftly, and even becoming zigzag at certain parts. As they waited, feeling incredibly anxious as they all understood the pressure, and that this challenge would be a difficult one to win, none of them wanting to go to the bonfire area, Chris eventually arrived, observing the contestants and stifling a laugh.

"Wow, you guys look worse than ever!" He pointed out to the Attackers, who had lost the reward challenge and were forced to continue wearing their sweaty, dirty clothes, which only made them uncomfortable and agitated. As they folded their arms and groaned in annoyance, disliking the host even more than they already did, a couple members of the defenders, specifically Zane and Gabby, snorted at the insult, smirks on their faces.

After waiting a few more moments, expecting everyone to eventually begin laughing at, in his opinion, his clever, brilliant joke, he realised with a pang of irritation that everyone was simply staring at him, either straight-faced or annoyed, impatiently waiting for him to explain the challenge so they could compete and hopefully win immunity for their tribe, saving them for another two days. Chris coughed in his hand to disperse the awkward atmosphere before spreading his arms in the direction of the challenge.

"In this challenge, six contestants from each tribe will compete, meaning one will have to sit out from the Attackers, and it cannot be Sasha, but we'll get to that after the explanation. In this, the six contestants competing will be split into three teams of two, and the pairs will be conjoined with a rope tied to their ankles. Then, the pair will have to stand on an obstacle course each, red if you're in the Attackers, and blue if you're in the Defenders, and race through it, making sure the speed they run at it equal to their partner, as if you run faster or slower you will be left behind or overtaken by your partner and the rope you're both tied to will result in you tumbling to the ground, in which you'll have to go back to the beginning and try again. Each pair will be competing against another, and the first pair to reach the end of their obstacle course scores a point for their team. As there are three pairs, there is no chance of there being a tie, and so the first team to reach two points will win immunity and be safe from elimination until the next immunity challenge." Chris explained in great detail, every contestant listening closely, looking between him and the obstacle course as they began to feel nervous about the ensuing challenge. "If you want to win, and stay in the game, you'll all need strong coordination skills to succeed. Now, Attackers, you need to sit out a contestant and it cannot be Sasha, as she sat out in the reward challenge. Who will it be?"

The Attackers got together and conferred for a moment, looking back at the challenge and deciding who would be best not to compete, based on the weights and heights of every contestant. Eventually, it was decided that Griff would sit out, as out of the seven he was the one who related the least to everyone else, height and weight wise. Then, Chris asked everyone to arrange their members into three pairs, and for the next five minutes they huddled together, talking in hushed whispers, weighing the pros and cons of putting people together in certain pairs, before Chris stopped them when it appeared that everyone had made their decision.

Now that the pairs were formed, the first pair from each tribe stepped forward, ready to compete, while their tribemates watched from the sidelines, incredibly nervous, hoping deeply that their tribe would succeed, none of them wanting to go to the bonfire area.

 **The Attackers: Miles and Scar, Rebekah and Sasha & Arianna and Jackie.**

 **The Defenders: Oswald and Zane, Connor and Kevin & Brooke and Gabby.**

The first two pairs to compete, Miles and Scar and Oswald and Zane, waited on top of the narrow beams at the start of the obstacle course, taking deep breaths to steady their balance. The rope tied to each of their ankles was slack but would eventually grow taut, as the obstacle courses grew further and further apart from each other the further they went. They waited, feeling pangs of anxiety deep inside them, willing themselves not to glance at their opponents or anything else other than the path ahead of them just in case they stumbled and lost their balance.

After a couple of seconds of waiting, which were filled to the brim with tension and apprehension, the klaxon went off, and the two pairs began to lumber forward carefully along the obstacle course. Instantly, those who were watching and waiting for their turn realised how difficult it would be, as when one member of the pair attempted to turn a corner, the other had already passed that point or hadn't yet reached it, resulting in the rope pulling one of them to the ground, followed quickly by the other.

Scar, who was incredibly athletic and flexible, surprising almost all of the contestants, managed to sneakily and skilfully move along the obstacle course as if he had been practising for years on end, moving his feet along gingerly one by one, turning corners slowly but quickly at the same time. Miles, who was slightly less physically able than Scar but still strong and fit, managed to keep up albeit being slightly slower, meaning Scar occasionally had to stop walking to wait for him to catch up, giving time for the other pair of Oswald and Zane to get closer.

Talking about Oswald and Zane, the two were also making quick, notable progress, as Zane had great amounts of stamina and was also quite athletic, while Oswald was incredibly talented at moving stealthily, meaning he could step along the obstacle course tentatively and keep his balance strong. For a long time, the two pairs were neck and neck, all four of them having significant strengths and weaknesses that both sped them up and slowed them down.

As they began to near the ending of the obstacle course, none of them having fallen at all except for at the beginning, Zane noticed that Miles and Scar were beginning to creep ahead of them, and thus sped up abruptly, forgetting that his ankle was tied to Oswald's by means of a rope. As he took an ambitious step forward, he suddenly felt a rough yank pulling him backwards, causing him to struggle, attempting to shift his feet into a different position to keep his balance, throwing his arms out in front of him, but his thoughtlessness had created the start of an inevitable fall, and with a groan of annoyance he fell off the obstacle course, pulling an irritated Oswald with him.

As they did this, the Defenders let out cries of disappointment and nervousness as they watched the pair of Attackers, Miles and Scar, reach the end of the obstacle course soon after Zane and Oswald fell. As they reached the end and hopped down, ignoring interacting with each other as they both loathed the other, the Attackers leapt to their feet and clapped happily for them, ecstatic that they had scored a point.

"The Attackers win the first race, and score a point! They only need one more point to win; Defenders, both of your other pairs need to win the next two races if you want to win immunity and avoid elimination." Chris reminded the nervous Defenders, who watched as their second pair, Connor and Kevin, advance to the obstacle course, walking next to the Attackers' next pair, Rebekah and Sasha.

As soon as the klaxon went off, it was obvious which pair were going to do better than the other. Rebekah and Sasha, due to the tension surrounding them which pushed them down, affecting their movements, fell over and over again at the beginning, unable to talk to each other and work out a plan as they simply felt too awkward to try to act civil towards the other. Sasha, as she was small and nimble, attempted to run as fast as she could along the obstacle course pathway to catch up with Kevin and Connor, who were advancing further and further away from them with every second, working well together. Rebekah, on the other hand, was noticeably taller than Sasha and so was unable to keep up with her nimbleness, continuing to fall behind and fall.

As the Attackers attempted to shout support to the two of them, desperate for them to win so the immunity challenge would be over and they wouldn't have to feel worried or fearful anymore of being eliminated, it unfortunately, for them, fell on deaf ears as Rebekah and Sasha continued to work terribly with each other. Just as it seemed like they had recovered, Sasha, who was still going too fast but now manageable for Rebekah, accidentally pulled too far ahead, getting thrown backwards and colliding with the ground.

Meanwhile, Kevin and Connor were working together in silence, neither of them speaking as it would distract them and also because they both knew about the former's betrayal, without the former actually being knowledgeable of the fact that the latter was aware. Despite the slight degree of tension, the two were making good progress, raising the hopes of the Defenders ever so slightly that they may actually win immunity. However, just as they passed the two thirds mark, Rebekah and Sasha finally managed to settle the differences they held physically, beginning to travel along the obstacle course at a good pace.

As both tribes screamed for the respective contestants competing, the four walking carefully along the obstacle course began to get anxious, all of them increasing their speed. Unfortunately, this meant disaster for one of the pairs; Rebekah and Sasha. Once again, the latter walked too fast and the former was unable to keep up, resulting in them both tumbling from the narrow beams yet again and Kevin and Connor passing the finish line first, scoring a point for the Defenders and evening out the score.

"The Defenders score! Now, each tribe has one point each, meaning it'll come down to the wire with the final two pairs; Arianna and Jackie, and Brooke and Gabby! The team that crosses the finish line successfully first will win immunity for their tribe, while the other tribe will go straight to the bonfire area and lose a member." Chris said ominously to keep the suspense, and those waiting on the sidelines shared fearful glances. The two pairs waited at the start of the obstacle courses, their eyes fixed on the finish line a significant distance away. "Go!"

Instantly, they burst into action, all four girls displaying their extreme athletic skill, all of them being graceful and flexible with their movements, resulting in none of them falling and both pairs racing along the obstacle course quickly, keeping their eyes firmly on the ground as they ran. As the sped, they made sure to take into account the rope, and thus remained next to their partner the entire time to assure themselves that the rope wouldn't tug them to the ground if one of them pulled too far ahead.

They ran along the narrow beam with incredible grace, causing even Chris, who was egotistical and hateful in every single way imaginable, to be impressed with how quickly they were progressing through the challenge. The four girls were neck and neck as they ran along the zigzag section of the challenge, their feet sticking to the narrow beam like glue, telling the contestants waiting on the sidelines, with their hearts in their mouths, that nobody was going to fall during this turn and that it literally was going to come down to the wire.

Both pairs were now approaching the ending, speeding up further to try and overtake the other pair and win immunity for their team. As they got past the final obstacle and reached the final stretch, which was simply the narrow beam stretching in a straight direction, the pairs ran as fast as they could, still neck and neck, desperately trying to make even the slightest bit of progress over the other tribe of girls. Their feet hammered down on the beam, stretching their arms out wide to their sides to improve their balance, their bodies tilting left and right as they dashed towards the end.

Eventually, after a few moments of running, in which the tribes screamed encouragements and threw waves of support in the direction of their tribemates, one pair stumbled right at the end, hitting the ground with hisses of pain, resulting in the other pair pulling ahead and reaching the finish line, turning to their tribe and grinning with joy, triumph and ecstasy in their eyes.

Arianna and Jackie.

The Attackers leapt off the bench they were sitting on, letting out roars of happiness as they ran towards the pair of girls who were gingerly untying the rope wrapped around their ankles. As they all cheered together, jumping up and down, realising with beams of relief that they would be avoiding elimination, the Defenders, on the other hand, simply exchanged silent glances of misery, knowing they would be returning to the bonfire area for the second time in a row, reducing their numbers compared to the other tribe significantly, giving them a two person disadvantage.

"The Attackers win after a neck-and-neck final race, and win immunity! Defenders, you know the drill by now. Another one of you will be eliminated tonight, leaving you with only five members. After today, you all seriously need to get together and work out how you're going to recover from this, because if you continue to perform in mediocre manners, then by the time the merge begins none of you will be left to compete in it." Chris warned dangerously, causing the six Defenders to shuffle around uncomfortably, knowing he was right. Chris then turned to the Attackers, smiling slightly. "Attackers, even though you're lacking personal hygiene, you're definitely not missing any performance value! Congratulations on your win; you may go back to camp."

After the tribes finished cheering and commiserating, they slowly split up, heading down two different pathways, one heading to the Attackers' camp, and one heading to the bonfire tribe. As they departed from the beach, the difference in atmospheres between the two teams was evident; while the Attackers were grinning, cheering, talking happily in loud, excited voices and patting each other on the back for their performance, the Defenders were completely silent, the only sounds being their footsteps on the ground, every single one of them incredibly worried and fearful, realising that, in under half an hour, they may no longer be competing in the game, instead sitting on a boat that was in the direction home and away from the island.

 **The Bonfire**

The six remaining members of the Defenders; Oswald, Kevin, Zane, Connor, Gabby and Brooke, all entered the bonfire area and nervously and silently sat down on the tree stumps set out for them, avoiding each other's eyes, the same thought in everyone's head; only five of them would be leaving the area again. As they waited, ashamed of their second loss in a row and understandably worried about the inevitable voting and proceeding elimination, they thought about what had been happening in the tribe lately, all six of them knowing in detail about various devious, sneaky actions that had been taking place behind other people's backs, and that when it came down to it, nobody, not even those who were confident, knew who was going to be eliminated that night.

"Well, I don't see any reason not to eliminate all of you right off the bat if you continue to perform as poorly as you did in that challenge. You acted as if the beams had been slicked over with butter!" Chris mocked, chuckling to himself from the other side of the raging fire. To this, everyone groaned and rolled their eyes, but Gabby was the only one who made her thoughts vocal.

"Just get on with it." She snapped in frustration, folding her arms and looking away. To this, Chris turned to Connor.

"Connor, do you believe that the tribe's recent elimination, in which you chose to vote out Adam, has helped the six of you to grow stronger and more united as a team?" Chris asked, his eyes planted firmly on Connor, causing the contestant to think about his response before he spoke it, feeling uncomfortable by the silence while everyone waited for him to answer, only being broken by the crackling of the fire.

"No, I don't." Connor replied honestly albeit tentatively. "In fact, pretty much the opposite has happened. Adam's elimination...it's caused tension and chaos in the tribe, that can't seem to be quenched. Trust has fallen out of the bag of humanity and scattered all over the floor, mixed in with deceit, lies and manipulation, and I believe that our tribe will never truly be united, unless only one alliance remains inside it which is likely going to be impossible. With every one elimination, two more conflicts ignite, and it'll only grow and grow until it ends abruptly; when one person becomes the winner."

"I see. Oswald, who do you believe will be eliminated at tonight's bonfire?" Chris asked, a glint in his eyes that told the victim of his question that he was intending to start up drama, potentially shaking up the results of the vote. So, remaining completely calm, Oswald decided quickly to lie to Chris.

"I have no idea who will be eliminated, and I'm certain that nobody else sitting around me knows either. You can't be even the slightest bit certain that you know who's going to be eliminated, as you never know what your allies could potentially be doing behind your back, while acting like someone else to your face; as far as you know, they could be conspiring and planning your blindside while you're thinking about how trustworthy they are. Nothing is set in stone until the final vote is read, and somebody's fate is sealed, when no more plotting or betrayals can emanate, at least not until the survivors arrive back in camp and split up once again." Oswald explained darkly and poetically, every contestant listening attentively to his words and agreeing with everything he said. As he spoke, those sitting on the trunks shared glances of mistrust and confidence with each other, trying their hardest to reassure their growing nerves and will themselves to believe that everything would be okay.

"Thank you, Oswald. Now, the voting will begin." Chris announced, causing every contestant to tense up, their bodies straightening, nerves flowing through their bodies like a stream rushing down a mountain. "Zane, you may go first."

Zane, after glancing at Gabby for a moment, before shifting his gaze to Oswald, slowly rose to his feet and walked along the pathway towards the voting box, his fists clenched by his side as he quickly made a last minute decision on who he would vote for, his confused, exhausted mind struggling to create a rational choice.

Zane went up to vote.

"Gabby, I don't understand why you'd do this to me. I knew you were devious, and treacherous...but...I always thought, I genuinely always believed that we had an unspoken loyalty held towards each other. That...no matter what happened, we would always stand by each other. Clearly, I was wrong, and you're going to face the music for trying to mess with me. I may have agreed with every single one of your actions, but I'm not stupid, and you're going to find that out soon, very, very soon."

Connor went up to vote.

Gabby went up to vote.

"Thanks to Kevin's complete stupidity and gullibility, once again I'm on the top of the totem pole of strategy, with everyone else below me. Won't Oswald's pathetic alliance get a shock when they find out they're going to have to place their faith in a tiebreaker, which we'll undoubtedly win!"

Brooke went up to vote.

Kevin went up to vote.

"I'm sorry, Oswald. I'm sorry, Connor. I'm sorry, Brooke. But this...this is...it's for the best...I know it is. I know, I do. I'm so sorry...but I've made my decision...Gabby really has changed, she's much better now...but...what Brooke said, about her just using me for her own gain, I have to admit, that it something I've thought myself...is she really just controlling me...?"

Oswald went up to vote.

After Oswald voted and sat down in silence, the six of them waited anxiously, watching as Chris retrieved the voting box from the back and placed it on a table in front of him, slowly removing the lid and retracting a vote of his choice, unwrapping it and waiting for a few moments to create suspense before lifting his eyes, scanning the contestants sitting in front of him.

"The first vote...is for Oswald." Chris revealed, spinning the slip of paper around to show everyone. Upon seeing it, Kevin regretfully looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet the gaze of the alliance he had betrayed, knowing they would soon be looking at him with hate in their eyes. Gabby smirked slightly when she read the name, her eyes gleaming in triumph, while Zane remained expressionless, betraying nothing, his eyes empty and lacking emotion.

"The second vote is for Gabby." Chris announced and Gabby rolled her eyes in irritation at always being voted for, giving a sigh and looking at Oswald, Connor and Brooke, her expression lazy and lacking interest.

"When will you learn? Trying to eliminate me just won't work." She taunted smugly and mockingly before swiftly turning her head back to Chris to await the next vote. Before she did, however, she looked at Zane, expecting him to also be grinning cruelly, encouraging her, but found him staring blankly at Chris, confusing her slightly and causing her to shift uncomfortably on her stump, beginning to feel unnerved but trying to ignore it.

"The third vote is for Zane. The votes are currently tied at 1-1-1-0-0-0, shared between Oswald, Gabby and Zane, with three votes left." Chris announced slowly, drawing out the time before he read every vote to keep everyone on their toes.

To this, Gabby, Zane and Kevin's mouths dropped open wide in shock, not expecting this at all in a million years. Zane stiffened up in confusion, desperately trying to think of a rational explanation for why he would have a vote, but coming up blank. Gabby and Kevin wouldn't vote for him, because they were in his alliance and he didn't know about the secret deal he made, and Oswald, Connor and Brooke wouldn't vote for him either, because they needed him to eliminate Gabby. Who had voted for him?

As he thought about this, Zane's fearful eyes flicked over to the trio alliance, to see two of them, Brooke and Connor, watching Chris, waiting for the announcement of the next vote, while one of them, Oswald, stared directly at him, his eyes not revealing everything. Suddenly feeling incredibly unnerved and worried, Zane closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to remain calm, forcing himself to think that the vote with his name on it was just a simple mistake, and that they would still be fine and Gabby would be eliminated as long as the other two didn't also make a mistake.

"The fourth vote is also for Zane. He now has the most votes, at two, with only two left. Gabby and Oswald still have one, with Kevin, Brooke and Connor not having any. The fifth vote is for Oswald. It's now tied between the two of them, and with only one vote left, Kevin, Brooke and Connor are officially safe." Chris revealed as he slowly reached in the voting box for the final slip of paper, everyone watching him intently. "If this final vote is for Gabby, there will be a tiebreaker between her, Zane and Oswald. If the vote is for either Brooke, Kevin or Connor, then there will be a tiebreaker between only Zane and Oswald. If the vote is for Zane or Oswald, then the target will be eliminated and must leave immediately."

As he heard the next two votes, a realisation suddenly sparked and lit up in Zane's mind, a cool understanding sinking over him. He looked at Oswald, twisting his head quickly towards him, glaring at him furiously with his eyes but not his face while Oswald looked back at him, his eyes cool and composed, still showing nothing. Suddenly feeling incredibly despaired, Zane looked back at Chris for the final vote, realising with misery that he had no chance at making it through the elimination.

"The final vote...is for Zane. Zane, with three votes out of six, which is more than Oswald's two and Gabby's one, you have the most votes and must leave the competition immediately." Chris finished off, showing the six of them the final vote.

To this, a small sigh of relief escaped Brooke's lips as she realised that her alliance's plan thankfully succeeded. On the other hand, Gabby gasped in pure shock and bewilderment, having not expected for a second that Zane would be eliminated. However, counting the votes in her head and putting the pieces together, she was filled with a sudden and abrupt rage as she realised that Zane had voted for her, and she gave him a furious glare, growling in anger.

"You deserve that, you traitor." She spat hatefully at him, causing him to feel his eyes grow heavier as tears began to quickly fill them up.

"Gabby, Oswald, Brooke and Connor lied to me! They lied straight to my face and claimed that you had betrayed me! They seemed so genuine, so what was I supposed to expect? I didn't want to be eliminated, I had no other choice!" Zane shouted through his tears, feeling incredibly upset, embarrassed and alone as Gabby continued to angrily stare at him, now loathing him with everything she had.

"So you believed them over me?!" Gabby barked, and Zane fell silent, having no answer to give for why he believed the alliance specifically against his over his own ally who he had been with for days on end. After waiting a few moments for a response that wasn't coming, Gabby waved her hand at Zane in disgust, feeling as if she was unable to look at him. "I want you out of my sight."

As the two argued, Kevin felt as if he was slammed into by a truck of worry as he realised that, now, because he betrayed his alliance who had taken him in when he needed it, he was now alone in the tribe with Gabby being his only remaining ally, who evidently hadn't changed due to the way she was shouting at Zane. Feeling crushed and upset, Kevin looked at the ground, struggling to fight back the impending tears, knowing full well that he had made the wrong decision.

As Zane slowly rose to his feet, all eyes glued to him, he slowly turned his head towards Oswald, mouthing 'Why?', but in response Oswald simply turned his head away, dismissing him as if he were an attention seeking pet who was completely irrelevant to him. Realising that he had been completely and utterly used and blindsided by people he didn't even trust, Zane quickly stormed away, unable to stay around them for a moment longer, angrily wiping away his tears, soon disappearing far into the distance.

 **Final Confessional: Zane Wood**

 **"I'm so stupid! So, so idiotic! Why did I ever, ever believe anything that Oswald, Brooke and Connor said?! Of course they were lying to me just to get my vote! Why didn't I see it sooner? If I only ignored them, and stayed loyal, we would've went through to a tiebreaker and I might've still been in the game...ugh, I'm so stupid and clueless! I could be in the majority alliance right now, with no worries of being voted out at least until the merge, guaranteed safety for at least four days, but now...now, I've ruined all of it because I believed the lies of a group of people who were clearly against me! I've ruined everything...I can't believe it...I'm not going to win the game, and it's all because I'm gullible and disloyal."**

 **...**

After Zane departed and Chris dismissed them all to leave before walking out of the bonfire area himself, Connor walked over to Oswald, the nerves of the elimination still hot in his mind, believing it to be the most anxiety-stirring bonfire by far. As he reached Oswald, he knew exactly what he was going to say, as he was confused about something about the plan which Oswald was yet to explain to him and Brooke.

"Oswald, can I ask you something?" He asked quietly, and Oswald looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Connor quickly glanced around to make sure everybody else was out of earshot before continuing in a low voice. "Why did we eliminate Zane? We could've just voted for Gabby. I mean, she's the bigger threat isn't she? Because of how manipulative and devious she is."

"Zane wasn't a bully. I could tell that simply by looking at him. But Gabby was, and still is, except she's pretending to isn't to Kevin. It won't last long, though." Oswald quietly told Connor, explaining his reasons for choosing to eliminate Gabby's crony rather than the leader of the alliance herself. As Connor stared at him, slowly beginning to wrap his head around his motives, Oswald continued, his voice still but full of thought. "Zane only harassed Kevin because Gabby did too, because he also felt intimidated by Gabby and feared that, if he refused, Gabby would switch targets to him instead. So, if we eliminated Gabby today instead of Zane, then he would have no reason to continue being cruel and mean to Kevin, because Gabby wouldn't be there to encourage and subliminally threaten him anymore. Zane would go back to being friendly to Kevin, and the two would most likely become fast friends, which would undoubtedly become a problem in the merge, as they would become another alliance that would threaten us.

"However, because Zane's gone now, and Kevin's alone with Gabby, that can't happen. It won't be long before Gabby goes back to tormenting and being cruel to Kevin, especially because she's angry with Zane's betrayal and, because Kevin's the only person she can possibly do anything to, she'll keep making his life a misery. Kevin won't stay with Gabby long and suffer her cruelty before leaving her alliance, meaning both of them will be alone when we come to the merge, and they'll be easier to take out one after the other without the threat of them being in an alliance and having more power. However, if we kept Zane, both of them would likely become friends and start an alliance, making them more of a difficulty to get rid of, along with the other contestants who are going to be in the merge with us." Oswald finished his explanation to Connor, who had listened to it all intently, nodding along at certain parts. When he finished, Connor was looking at him with deep admiration in his eyes, feeling great respect for Oswald after his successful plan and and how far he thought ahead into the future, showing his adaptive abilities before the events even took place.

"You really are so, so clever, Oswald. To be honest, I doubt I'd still be in the competition if it wasn't for your intelligent, strategic mind. I might've been eliminated instead of Jayna all those days ago!" Connor complimented with a respectful smile.

"At this point, all three of us need to be intelligent, as not many of us remain in the tribe now and Gabby will undoubtedly start doing absolutely anything she can to get anyone she can on her side, and that means trying to manipulate you and Brooke into joining her. She'd never try it with me; despite her egotistical, deluded personality, she is an intelligent girl, and she knows that if she tried to manipulate me into being part of her alliance it would only end with flames for her. Connor, you need to be more strategic for when she starts to do this, and also for the future, just in case I'm not there to help you, okay?" Oswald said, giving Connor strong advice which he hoped he would take in, which thankfully he did. Connor gave his longtime ally a firm nod, and the two offered each other a small smile. No matter what happened, they were still relieved that they were in an alliance together, there to help each other when they needed it.

The five contestants still in the slowly diminishing Defenders tribe, split into two alliances, the trio alliance of Oswald, Connor and Brooke and the duo of Kevin and Gabby, slowly began walking back to camp, nobody speaking, all of them having the exact same thought in their head, despite all the drama that took place only a few moments ago at the elimination which wrote Zane out of the competition for good; they needed to start cooperating and working together better, and fast, because if they didn't, barely any of them would remain when the merge eventually came around, and those who still remained from the Defenders would likely get quickly swallowed up by the entirety of the Attackers, none of them remaining as if they never existed in the first place.

As they walked, none of them looking at each other, keeping their eyes firmly on the ground as they dragged their exhausted feet begrudgingly back to their emptier camp, they all realised that, truly, when it came down to it, none of them could trust anyone in the game, even those in their own alliance, even those they had been with since the start of the competition, as all of them were only there to be the sole winner and earn the grand prize, and that every single one of them would do absolutely anything necessary to get it.

 **...**

 **Eliminated Contestants**

 **20th Place: Mike Jones (The Sea Tribe)**

 **19th Place: Olivia Haas (The Sea Tribe)**

 **18th Place: Dale Montgomery Lawson (The Sky Tribe)**

 **17th Place: Hudson Ewing (The Sky Tribe)**

 **16th Place: Jayna Elizabeth Valentine (The Serenity Tribe)**

 **15th Place: Ingrid Sanders (The Sand Tribe)**

 **14th Place: Adam Johnston (The Sky Tribe & The Defenders)**

 **13th Place: Zane Wood (The Sand Tribe & The Defenders)**

 **...**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and I feel so happy to be back writing the story! I really hope that you all enjoyed and liked the chapter, and please leave a review to tell me what you all thought! I love it whenever I get a new review, it honestly makes me feel so happy and feedback really is the best part about writing.**

 **Because I have a ton of time off for summer break, I'm going to get straight to planning and writing the next chapter, so please expect it during August. Whether it's early or late August, I'm not sure, but I'm determined to get a good number of chapters out before I go back to school, so August is my next estimate.**

 **Once again, thank you all so much for reading and please leave a review, whether you enjoyed the chapter or not! :)**

 **Bye for now! ^^**


	14. Note 4

Hey everyone! ^^

I'm just writing this note to let you all know that I'm NOT dead, because I know it's been over two months since the last chapter of Eracy Island was released.

The reason for this has been - school. It has absolutely drained the LIFE out of me this last month, but I haven't forgotten about this story for a second and in my spare time I've been adding to it bit by bit.

I've almost finished the planning stage of the story, and then I'll go onto actually write the chapter. All I can say is this one will most likely be the longest yet, and hopefully the best so far! ^^

I'm not making a deadline for myself, just in case school decides to drown me in work between now and the deadline and I don't have time to finish it, but I'm going to guess that, based on how long the planning stage took and how the writing part usually takes the same amount of time, or a little bit longer, I'm gonna estimate that the chapter will come out in **Late October/Early November**.

I know that's a lot of time but I really want to make this chapter great because of how long it's been since the last one, and I hope you'll all stick with me and read the chapter when it comes out! ^^

Like always, thank you for reading this story and I'll hopefully see you all in around a month's time! :)

Bye for now! ^^

PS: I would really appreciate it if you would review this, just so I know you're all still around. It would really motivate me. ^^


	15. Note 5

Hey! So, I definitely need to explain myself for why I've completely vanished off the face of the earth in the previous few months, and didn't upload the chapter that I promised would be up in Late October/Early November.

At the start, I was making really good progress on the chapter, and undoubtedly would've finished it before Halloween, and if not then just afterwards.

But, to be frank, school has been absolutely atrocious with me in terms of schoolwork and homework, and I literally feel like I haven't had a chance to actually relax since early September. I genuinely can't remember the last time that I had a day when I didn't have to do at least two hours of schoolwork, and that, combined with my general life as a whole, has left almost no time at all to work on the actual story.

I promise that I haven't forgotten about the story, as I think about it almost every single day and feel guilty about the fact that I said the chapter would be released almost two months ago, and haven't delivered. When I wrote the last Update chapter I KNEW I shouldn't have offered a deadline for the chapter to be released, because my gut was telling me from the start that something would happen that would prevent me from doing so.

It did, and now I've incidentally left you all in the dark for almost two months. The reason for why I haven't made another Update chapter explaining my situation is because, to tell the truth, I've been feeling really nervous and anxious about doing so, because I'm worried that you will think I've been stringing you along and making false promises which is absolutely not the case, because under any circumstances I don't want to disappoint any of you, and I'm sorry for making a deadline that I completely and utterly missed because of school's decision to drown me in work the last few months.

But from now on I promise I will be adding to the story at any possible opportunity I have, whilst still focusing primarily on schoolwork and my social life which I hope you can all understand is more of a priority, but I honestly do care a lot about this story and I do not want to see it become like so many other stories on this site, simply having been forgotten about and never touched again before even reaching its conclusion. I promise I am NOT giving up on this story, or any of you, and never will.

I'm definitely not going to give a deadline for when the chapter will be released, because, knowing me, I'll only end up missing it and writing another Update chapter in a few months explaining my situation yet again.

I just want you all to know that I still have immense passion and motivation for this story, and have been adding to it at every single opportunity, but life just hasn't been easy enough for me to be able to write and complete the chapter, with its status not even reached halfway to completion yet. I know that will probably disappoint a lot of you (if many of you are even still around), but I'm still working on the story and will get a chapter out at some point in the future, with no promises being made on that specific date.

So, thank you to everyone who's still hanging around and has faith in me, and I hope that none of you will be disappointed when the chapter eventually comes out. I really have been working hard on it, as, when it is completed, it will undoubtedly be the longest chapter of the story so far which I hope will make up for the months of silence. I hope it can be the best one so far, too.

Again, thank you so much for sticking with me, I really do appreciate every single one of you who follow this story, and I promise that, at some point in the future, the next chapter will come out which I hope you won't be disappointed by.

Thank you, and bye for now ^^


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